The Past and Happily Ever After?
by thecoldest raindrops are tears
Summary: This is the sequel to The Work of Two. Will Mulan finally have her happily ever after with Shang?
1. Teaser: News

Chapter 1 (_Teaser) _- News

"Mulan!" her mother called, from the kitchen. "It's time to get up!" Mulan groaned as she woke up. Since Shang left she didn't feel like waking up early, for some reason. It had already been two months and two weeks and Shang had not knocked at her door. She week she would send one letter, in hopes that she would get one back, but she never got one letter, except in the first week after he left.

After Shang left, Mulan's life had gone back to the way it had been, before she left for the army, except the Matchmaker preparation. There were more chores to be done, which had been neglected because she was gone. And life was normal again and her family and she got closer, but Mulan missed Shang. And now that more than two months had passed by, Mulan wondered where he was. Mulan tried to not thinking of the worst, but after no letters or any word from him, she couldn't help it.

"Mulan!" Her mother came rushing into the room, "You should already be up! Why are you still lying in bed?"

"Where's Shang?" she asked softly.

Her mother gave a sympathetic pout and sat on her bed. Mulan sat up and her mother stroked her hair. "I hope you're not wondering if he left you or not, because that is not the case." Mulan nodded. That wasn't what she was thinking. "If you're wondering if he's coming or not, that is something I'm unsure about."

"It's already been two months and two weeks have passed since then. Where is he? I hope he's not hurt or anything." Mulan was getting frantic.

Her mother laughed, and Mulan glared at her. "Dear daughter, do you hear yourself? It's only been two weeks after. You are a little paranoid. But I guess I can understand. You truly love him don't you?" Mulan smiled and nodded. "Well then," her mother told her reassuringly, "I can assure you that if Shang doesn't show up soon, you can always talk to the Emperor and/or Shang's father and ask about Shang's whereabouts. After all, he could be visiting his brother also."

Mulan smiled and her mother gave her a big hug before she left the room. Just as she got up from bed, she realized one small problem in her mother's comforting speech. Shang's brother lived with his parents, because he was the oldest. Shang was the middle child and his sister was the youngest. But because Jia was a girl, she had to move in with her husband. So where was Shang?

Mulan decided to wave off these thoughts until later. She went to her closet and quickly changed into her work clothes. Mulan then made her way to the breakfast table. While she sat eating breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Her mother went and answered it. When she came back, Mulan noticed the stack of letters she was holding. Immediately she got up from the table and grabbed the letters excitedly. Her mother's face saddened. "Mulan," she said sadly, "Don't get too excited baby."

She wondered what her mother meant, but when she looked at the mail she knew why. These were all her letters. None of her letters ever reached Shang. "But…" she looked at her mother, "Why? Did Shang ever…"

Her mother placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "These letters were never opened by Shang because they never reached him." Mulan gasped. "The men tried finding Shang, but he never was found. The last man to see him went to the same spot where Shang was found but he never showed up. They even talked to his sister, but he was either never home, or left to come back here."

"But he could have still written to me even if he was never home and he came back every day. After all he was with his sister." Mulan's eyes widened. She knew what she had to do. She started to run for her room to pack, but her mother stopped her.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to find Shang whether you like it or not," she told her mother, "I love him. If I was lost he would do the same for me."

"But that is because he is a man and has to protect you. You're only a woman!" her mother told her.

"Don't ever say that to me," Mulan glared at her mother, "Chi Fu said that, the Matchmaker said that, every person in China said that, and look at how I proved them wrong." She then ran to her room and quickly packed. Mulan grabbed a week's worth of clothes and her trusted sword. She was about to pass by the family temple and grab Mushu and Mei, but there was another knock at the door.

Mulan's mother opened the door and found Shang's father standing there. "Why Chen, what are you doing here?"

Mulan immediately ran to the door, and her father and grandmother greeted him. "Where's Shang?" Mulan asked.

"Mulan!" her mother looked at her with a disapproving look, "That is no way to greet someone!"

"It's okay," he told her, "I was about to ask the same question."

"You don't know either?" she asked in shock.

"No," he shook his head, "he's been gone for over two months and two weeks if I am certain?" Mulan smirked at her mother who just shrugged, to show that someone else was wondering also and paranoid. "But I thought he would be here for sure. I didn't think he'd even spend his whole two months there. I thought he would be back very soon." He looked at Mulan and smiled, "For reasons clear."

"Well I'm going to find him," she told them.

Fa Li looked to Shang's father and Fa Zhou to stop her, but they didn't. "Then I'll go with you," Shang's father told Mulan. "If there is anyone that knows the area it is me. Meanwhile, my wife and son will remain at my home waiting for his return. You all should wait here if he decides to see Mulan too."

They all nodded. And at that moment there was another knock at the door. Mulan immediately opened it to find Xiaohua standing there.

"What do you want?" Mulan asked.

Xiaohua replied, "I know where Shang is."


	2. Shockers

**Author's Note: sorry it took so long. I've been so busy! But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks a ton to my faithful old readers, who read from the very beginning (you guys know who you are!) :) You guys are the best! R&R please!**

**And check out my new one-shot story, called When I'm 64**

**:) Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Xiaohua stepped into the house and watched as everyone stared at her. All greeted her warmly while Mulan glared viciously. She forcefully made her way through her mother and father. Shang's father and her mother tried to hold her back, but Mulan strongly made her way past them. Shang's father whistled in awe, "Strong one, she is."

Mulan grabbed Xiaohua by the dress collar and lifted her up. "Tell me where Shang is now," she demanded. Xiaohua was scared and looked at Mulan, while trying to swallow. "I'm warning you Xiaohua. If you don't tell me where my betrothed is, I will certainly kill you." Xiaohua was breathing heavily, probably unable to breathe from all the anxiety and the fact that Mulan was holding her up by the dress collar. "You almost stopped me before, but there is nothing stopping me now."

"Mulan," her mother placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "Let the girl down so she can actually tell you." Mulan nodded and dropped Xiaohua to the ground.

"You're right mama," she then looked at her and whispered to where only Xiaohua could hear, "But if she doesn't answer I can always go back and kill her."

Xiaohua scampered towards the seat and slowly sat down. She breathed quickly and tried to catch her breath. Mulan calmly sat on the couch in front of her studying every one of her movements or facial expressions for any lies. Her mother and father stood behind her, while the former General stood on her left side, also studying Xiaohua. Granny Fa, on the other hand, was looking at Mulan wondering why she had so much disgust towards the girl. In fact she was nowhere near as beautiful as Mulan, and sure she was the perfect little housewife, but even she knew that Shang wasn't looking for only that in a wife.

Li Chen cleared his throat and Xiaohua looked up at him, "So tell us your story, uh miss…"

"Lin Xiaohua," she told him.

"Why don't you tell us your story Xiaohua, and exactly why you are visiting? Hmm?" He gave her a look that urged her to tell it soon, or else he would hurt her. Because this was his son that he was talking about, and their relationship was more important than a betrothal, meaning the anger he was feeling was probably as much as Mulan's, if not more.

Xiaohua cleared her throat and started, "Well I came here first to congratulate Fa Mulan and Li Shang on their engagement."

"And where did you hear this news?" Mulan asked curiously. Not many people knew about her engagement, because she and Shang had managed to keep it to only their families and their friends. But then again this village was small and known for their talk. She looked to her parents and Granny Fa, who avoided eye contact with her. Her parents probably spread it around. And Mulan secretly hoped that news reached the evil Matchmaker.

"Mulan," her father chided, "Let the girl finish."

Xiaohua nodded and continued, "I had heard the news from the Emperor and at the meeting for the military intelligence."

"_So much for not letting her know much_," Mulan muttered and looked over to the former General who smiled weakly and just shrugged.

"They told me about a mission I have to accomplish," Xiaohua said.

"Why wasn't I invited to this meeting?" Mulan asked and looked to Xiaohua, who shrugged and then to Shang's father.

He looked down for a moment, wondering how he was going to say this to Mulan. "Well, you are engaged to be married very soon and we didn't want to disturb you or Shang while you were getting ready for this. I knew you were at home and I figured Shang would be here also, which would explain why he never signed back in to the Emperor's palace. Plus he was late for the meeting, and he promised he would be back before then. He told me that he was going to tell you as soon as he came back and take you with him. So when you two never showed up, we figured you two were too busy preparing for the marriage that you couldn't make it. I know that you did not want everyone to hear about this marriage, but I had to make up an excuse for both of your absences. You don't want people, like Chi Fu to jump to conclusions." Mulan nodded, but was still wondering how Xiaohua knew where Shang was.

Xiaohua continued her story, "I thought Shang was here, but when I came to your house and heard you arguing about going to get Shang, I knew I had to help. I don't know where Shang is at this very moment, but I may have been the last person to see him," she paused for a breather, knowing Mulan probably wouldn't take this lightly, and looked up at Mulan, who urged her to continue. "I saw him in the mountains. I saw him in the Wu Tai Shan Mountains, stumbling along."

"And you didn't do anything?" She asked. Mulan shook her head, trying to hide her tears and immediately grabbed her stuff. She ran out the kitchen door to the back to get her horse and Mushu and Mei.

"Thank you for your help," they told her. Mulan's mother answered her, "I apologize for the way Mulan is acting. She is a little crestfallen. She hasn't seen Shang or heard from in a while and is probably thinking the worst. After all, the Wu Tai Shan Mountains are very high."

The former General waved goodbye and followed after Mulan. "Counsel of Defense? Sir?" Xiaohua called for him, "I didn't get to finish. But I did make sure he ended up okay. When he fell down on the road, I stayed there trying to wake him up. Shang is too heavy for me, so I couldn't take him anywhere. Luckily however, there was an old couple walking by. I put him in the carriage and went with him to the village, which is nearby the mountains. I believe he is in good care. I hope you find your son, for your sake, China's, and for Mulan's." He smiled and quickly thanked her and ran outside to find Mulan.

…

Mulan wiped away her tears as she made her way up the stairs to the temple. She quickly prayed to the ancestors for their guidance and walked down. From her behind her she heard small footsteps and turned around to find a sympathetic Mushu and Mei. "Shang isn't around, is he?"

Mulan shook her head, "They can't find him," her voice trembled. "Do you know where he is Mei?"

Mei shook her head. "I haven't heard from him at all. I've tried finding him by using telepath, but I was unable to."

"Come with me and help me find him," Mulan told them and she walked to the stables with them. They jumped in her bag, much to Khan's dismay. Just as she was about to board on the horse, Shang's father came into the stables.

"Wait for me," he told her as he prepared the horse, "I'm coming with you. And let's visit the Emperor. I have to tell him the news that his General is missing."

"I don't understand why Shang would take those mountains. Is that the only way home?" she asked.

"No," he turned to her, "but it is one of the fastest ways. Lucky for you I know a quick route to the mountains, that doesn't involve danger."

"Oh darn," Mulan said sarcastically.

"I know I am not your mother or your father to be reprimanding you, but you should have stayed and heard Xiaohua's whole story. She made sure Shang was in care of a village couple, so he should be fine. But I fear that he is badly injured due to the fact that he has been in their care for two weeks and has not returned home."

"How did you know that?" Mulan asked.

"I stayed and listened to her story, instead of jumping out and running after only hearing part of the story," He told her, "You're a very bright woman. I can see why my son wants to marry you. But in order to be a better soldier or leader, you must wait and plan your strategy instead of jumping at every chance you get."

Mulan nodded. "I understand. I am sorry for my behavior earlier."

"Don't apologize for that," he replied, "I would have acted the same way if my family was in danger."

"But you didn't."

He answered, "Because I was in control. It's all about self-control," Mulan nodded in agreement, "Besides, you were doing a fine job." Chen smiled. "If we leave now, we can reach the village by sunset. Is your horse ready for some running? What I should be asking actually is if you're ready for this journey?"

Mulan smiled. "If there's anyone who knows land, it's me. I know the land the best. And my horse happens to be the best there is." Khan whined.

"So I've heard," Chen smiled, "Let's see then!"

They then started their horses and ran as fast as they could to the Emperor's palace.

…

"What do you mean he's gone missing?" Chi Fu asked, "He could not have been very far! After all the love of his life is at home! I bet he skipped the meeting on purpose!"

The Emperor quieted down his ignorant assistant and spoke. "Please excuse my assistant. He is trying to get use to following my orders." He threw a stern look at Chi Fu who then quieted down. Mulan tried her best to hide her laugh.

"If I may speak in my son's defense," he looked at the Emperor and then at Chi Fu, "My son has not been home in the past two months and two weeks. He has gone to visit _his sister_. Fa Mulan and her family have not seen Shang in so long. Counsel Fa is coming with me to see his whereabouts, which Xiaohua luckily told us…"

Mulan's concentration on the conversation slowly drifted when she saw Xiaohua in the corner of her eyes. To her left, she saw her arguing with some man, hidden by the curtains. She could faintly hear Xiaohua yelling that she "_didn't want to do it_". Suddenly the man struck her hard on the face. Mulan leaned in as far as she could to hear the conversation

"Why do you have to go on this mission Xiaohua? Aren't you going to miss me?" he asked.

"Mao," she said quieter, "Listen. I am trying to regain the trust of Fa Mulan and the whole dang China. Most of China does not trust me because their heroine doesn't. And with the stories going around that I kissed General Li Shang, while he was with Fa Mulan is ruining my reputation. And even though I betrayed this country, I am very lucky to be alive in it. I want to live in this country. I love the people here and I love the Emperor. I need to go on this mission. If I don't, there won't be an Emperor or a country left for me to go back to."

"Just don't get too attached to anyone out there," Mao replied.

"Mao," she answered him, "I've been thinking. We need to end this relationship here. We need to end "us". I felt I only loved you because I needed a shoulder to cry on. This time, I don't think this love is real."

"You still love those Hun guys?" Mao angrily asked.

"One, I loved Chen with all my heart. And I will always have a space in my heart for him. He was my first real love. Second, I do not care for Ming. He was just there for me. That is all."

"So I'm like Ming to you?" he yelled. "I'm only there when you need me? But once I'm dead or of no use to you, you could care less about me?" He then walked away.

From far away, Mulan saw Xiaohua wiping away her tears. She could see her mouth moving but Xiaohua was not saying anything. From what Mulan could make out, it was if she was saying, "_You're doing this for his own good. He doesn't deserve you._"

"Fa Mulan," the Emperor called out to her, bringing her away from Xiaohua, "Once you return, I will probably send for you or send you a message about the mission success or failure. Are we clear on the whole plan?" Mulan nodded, completely unaware about what they had said in the past few minutes. She then turned and saw Xiaohua standing there at the door wiping her tears, trying to hide.

"Ah Lin Xiaohua," the Emperor gestured for her to come over, "Fa Mulan, she will be going on her first mission today. She is to make sure we have peace with the Middle Kingdom."

She bowed, "Yes sir. That is the mission, no matter what. I will make sure there is peace." Xiaohua then walked out of the room. Once she was out of sight, Mulan noticed that she ran away, sobbing softly.

The former General then turned to Mulan, "Are you ready?"

Mulan turned and faced him, "Let's go find Shang."


	3. Finding Shang

**Author's Note: Sorry it's taking me so long. And just for you guys, I've decided to release chapters 3-6 just for you guys. Thanks for reading my story and staying here reading my story (after my long absence) :D You guys are the best!**

**Special Thanks to (which I wasn't able to do cuz I was so busy)**

**Trackrat-:) You're the best! Thanks for always reviewing my chapters!**

**Koolbroadwayreader-hahaha you're always thinking what I'm thinking! Thanks for always reviewing my chapters!**

**Leah-I'm glad you're enjoying this story! First time to be thanking you:) I hope you continue to read it:)**

**VballLover-I'm glad you liked my old story and you followed through on here! I hope you continue to read my story:)**

* * *

The journey was not too difficult. And like Mulan promised, she and her horse knew the land well. They could spot each danger area from far away, which made the journey a lot quicker and safer. Li Chen was very impressed with Mulan. He even wondered if Mulan would make a better General than his son, but of course that spot belonged to him. But maybe, together, they would be incredible.

They finally reached the village and right at sunset. Much to Mulan's dismay, they had stopped along the way to get a bite to eat. And then they went on their way again. As Chen had said, "He's going to be there when we get there. He's too injured to go anywhere." Mulan nodded. She just hoped he was there and in one piece.

The sun was setting making the China sky a blend of bright colors: orange, red, yellow. It looked so pretty and yet it was the same color as fire and the sky of a familiar nightmare: the burned-out village in the Tung Shao Pass. This village looked like the village before it burned out. The houses were made of wood and the roofs were made of straw. These houses weren't as advanced as Mulan's, but it worked for the mountaineers, who had good weather most of the time.

The village was long, but narrow. All the homes were gathered on one straight road, while the land surrounding them was used for farming. Finding out which house Shang was in was going to be difficult. There probably over fifty homes. Going to each one would take a while. The only thing they could use to eliminate was whether the person answering the door was young or old.

"Should we split up?" Mulan asked.

He shook his head, "I know you've overtaken cultural rules in your own world, but there may be people around here who haven't heard of you. The last thing we want to do is offend these people."

"So in other words," Mulan turned to him, "you are the one going to do all the talking?"

He smiled and nodded. "I always knew you were smart."

Mulan scoffed. She knew she could handle herself. Besides, going house-to-house was going to take forever. But she had an idea of how to speed it up.

The former general knocked on the first house. An old woman opened up the door and smiled warmly at them. From behind her, Mulan could see a man sitting at the dinner table and eating. Once he spotted Mulan, he got up from his place and made his way to the door.

"May I help you?" the woman asked. "You two are not from here, are you?"

"No ma'am," he replied, "I am Li Chen. I am looking for my son. People have said that he is here being taken care of."

"Is that your daughter?" the woman asked and looked Mulan once over, from head to toe and smiled.

Chen turned and smiled at Mulan, "No, she is my daughter-in-law."

"Ah, well. I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do. I'm sorry." The lady started to close the door, but Mulan stuck her foot in there.

"Please," she asked through the partly open door, "This is my betrothed that we are talking about. I need to see him."

"You're Fa Mulan aren't you?" the man asked. Mulan nodded and took her foot out of the door. "Well I noticed your feisty spirit." Mulan smiled proudly. "But it won't work here," Mulan frowned. "We don't give away information here. And as a medical village, we promise to guard and take care of our patients."

"What about me do you not trust?" Mulan asked angrily. "I am betrothed to Li Shang. Yes that is his name. He is the General. I fought with him in the army when he was a Captain. I saved his life. _Twice_."

The couple then shut the door hard on her face. Mulan sighed and walked over to the next house. She stopped in the middle of the road to think. She was angry at the uncooperation of the couple. She was angry that she was messing up this whole mission. Most of all, she was angry she left Shang go in the first place. Chen placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Mulan turned around to face him.

"Listen," he told her. "I know you're angry. I know you're angry at that couple. I know you're angry at the world. I know you're angry at Xiaohua. And you're probably angry at me. I don't care. But the one person you cannot be angry at, no matter what, is yourself. In this world, when no one is around, who will be there to help you? Only you. Who is the one person you can trust when everyone fails? Yourself. So right now, in order to find Shang, you need to stop and think. Outsmart these villagers. You're a smart woman. You can do it. But you can't win when you're angry at yourself."

Mulan smiled. Shang was just like his father, wise and inspiring, just like any leader should be. He was right. Mulan lost control in front of that couple and in front of Xiaohua, and because of that, she wasn't able to get the information she wanted. What she needed to do was use her wits, not force.

She and Shang's father walked to the house next door. He knocked on the door and out stepped a young man, who seemed to be older than Shang. Mulan smiled dazzlingly at him, and the man was in awe. "Good evening sir."

"Uh…hi." The man stuttered. The former General watched from the sidelines as a soldier took charge. He hid his laughter as the man was caught under her charm.

"I am looking for an old couple, good at nursing and care." She replied.

"Why would you need that?" he asked. "You look…fine." When she wasn't looking he looked her up and down and smiled. But the former General was not smiling this time. He was disgusted with this man.

"Listen son," he said sternly, "this girl happens to be my daughter. I need you to tell me where I can find the best care for her. She is injured and needs care."

The man pointed to a house on the right side about three houses down. "They have the best care and can heal anyone. But they may have a patient now, so it may be a while before she can be healed. But after all we are a healing village, so maybe I can…"

"No thank you!" Chen replied and shut the door on the boy's face. He then walked away and grabbed his horse towards the house.

Mulan smirked. "I had him under my spell. I had him charmed. What happened to no anger?" She grabbed Khan and followed after him.

He smiled. "Now that you're getting married to Shang, you are technically my daughter. I was just acting as any father would. And I don't think Shang would appreciate you doing that."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, sir. You should know," she grinned.

"I like you Fa Mulan. You're smart and funny. But sometimes it gets the best of you," he smiled.

Mulan laughed softly. Sometimes, she felt that talking to Chen was like talking to Shang. They let go of their horses and walked to the house. She decided that it would be best if her identity was a secret. Mulan put the hood over her head and stayed hidden in the brown robe, which belonged to Shang. Mulan then knocked on the door and out stepped an old man. "State your business, we are very busy. I haven't the time for any games."

Mulan looked to Shang's father on how to react. So he started, "I believe in your house, you have a patient."

"That is none of your business," the man replied. He looked fiercely at Mulan and Shang's father. "I will not allow you in this house."


	4. How to Break Into A House:Mulan Style

"The patient happens to be my son." he answered sternly, "I am the former General, Li Chen. The man you are holding is Li Shang. If you need any proof, ask me or my daughter. We mean no harm to Li Shang."

"As a part of the medical business, we are to defend our patients. I cannot allow you to see him, unless he wishes to." The man answered back angrily.

While they were arguing Mulan kept scanning the house. It was small and old. Mostly everything that they used in the house came from the surrounding forest. These villagers were very resourceful. She also noticed the weapons in the far back, just in case they wanted to attack them.

"Listen sir," he pleaded, "I just want to see my son. I haven't seen him in two weeks. We've been searching far and wide for him."

"You are lying to me," the man responded.

"In what way?" Shang's father asked in exasperation.

He pointed to Mulan, "That is not your daughter! That is Fa Mulan."

"She is married to my son," he told the old man, "I consider her like my own daughter. I have known her since she was just a child."

Mulan sighed and took off her hood. She muttered low enough for only Shang's father to hear, "_They won't know me eh? Every person here knows me_."

She continued to scan the house and her eyes came upon a lady. She was bent over a bed and holding a wet cloth and would dip the cloth in the nearby bucket. When she left Mulan saw who was on the bed, "Shang!" she yelled and tried to make her way inside, but the man held out his arm to stop her.

Shang seemed disturbed and kept looking around for her voice. The lady noticed this and glared at Mulan. She made her way to the door to confront the two visitors. "What is your business here? You are disturbing my patient! He has been out of it for two weeks now! He finally woke up and now that you've come here, he's anxious and paranoid! He just mumbles! '_Mulan! Where are you? Come save me!_' I mean who is this Mulan?" she took a look at Mulan, who had a smirk on her face, "I believe that would be you?"

Mulan nodded. "Please let me see my husband!" She tried to go through, but the couple would not give her way. She looked to Chen for support, but he wouldn't budge. She then gestured that she wanted to burst through, regardless, but he shook his head no. Mulan, however, would not take no for an answer. She walked away, while Shang's father looked at her in shock. Mulan then turned around and made a run for the door. The old couple ducked and in one swift movement, Mulan jumped over their heads and into the house.

She immediately ran for the bed where Shang was. Mulan grabbed his hand and looked him over. He was badly bruised on his arms, but his face still looked fine. Shang had a big bandage covering his head. Mulan guessed, he had a bad head injury. She looked sadly on him. Shang was badly injured, yet he probably looked a lot worse when the villagers first found him.

"_Shang_," Mulan thought as she held his hand, "_It's me. I'm here. Don't be disturbed._" Instead of smiling Shang became more disturbed. He kept tossing and turning around. Mulan sighed. She obviously got into his head, but it was not working.

The old woman screamed when she saw Mulan near Shang. The old man immediately ran for the weapons in the back. They were wooden spears with a sharp rock top. Sure the spears were well crafted, but they looked as if they were only for decoration. These weapons would not last very long in the battlefield. Just as he was about to attack Mulan, she stood up and kicked the spear out of her direction and to her left. The old man watched in awe as she beat him. Shang muttered low enough to where the old man could hear, but no one else, "_Are you sure you want to mess with China's heroine?_" The old man nodded and walked away. If he continued to attack her with stronger weapons, she would have to resort to a better defense: making the man unconscious.

Mulan immediately went back down to tend Shang. The woman walked over and angrily said to Mulan, "Look at the discomfort you are causing this poor boy. I should have never let you in here."

"First of all," Mulan stood up and faced the woman, "He is not a boy. He is a man. And his name is Li Shang. Second, that man lying down there happens to be my husband. If your husband was injured and I wouldn't let you in, how would you feel? Third, I don't care if he's disturbed or angry or disenchanted. I need to be near him! Fourth, you didn't allow me in here! I had to make my own entrance."

Just before the woman was about to reply, Shang interrupted her, "Mulan," he said weakly. She then got down on her knees and knelt beside Shang and held his hand. "Mulan," he turned to her and smiled, "Do you always have to be so strong and feisty?"

Mulan smiled. "Yes I do, but only whenever you're involved."

Shang smiled in a way that always made Mulan weak to the knees, "I'm fine. These people have taken care of me. I was going to go home soon."

"Not for another two weeks you won't," the lady replied. "You're still very badly injured."

"What if we took him home?" Shang's father asked as he walked nearer to Shang. The old man finally allowed him in. As he neared his son, he winced at the bad state he was in. He sighed and whispered, "_Shang what have you done to yourself?_" Chen shook his head in disbelief at his son's state.

"That is unlikely for him," the woman answered, "He is unable to travel, let alone walk."

Mulan looked at the old man who just sat down at his table playing some game. She turned to Shang, "Does the old man ever talk?"

Shang smiled, "No, he never does. He just sits there and lets the woman do everything. Whenever she needs him, she just yells and he goes and gets it."

Mulan made a _wu-chee_ sound and Shang laughed. "Talk about whipped," she smiled and kissed him gently on the lips. "How did this happen?" She looked him over. The only parts that were not broken or injured were his arms and legs, but his ankles were sprained.

"I don't remember much," he said trying to remember, "All I remember is racing home for the meeting, and trying to remember if I had everything, and remembering to go get you, and the reaction on your face when you saw me again," he smiled for a moment, and then continued, "And then everything went blank. Like I was losing control and falling slowly."

"Okay," the old lady came in and interrupted their conversation, "It's time for you to get your sleep darling. You just finished eating and I just prepped your bed. Go to bed Shang." Shang nodded and Mulan looked at him questionably.

"What?" Shang asked unaware.

She laughed and whispered. "You've been whipped too," she got up and kissed up on the forehead, "Sweet dreams General."

Mulan pulled up the covers to tuck him in and Shang went right to bed. He felt better knowing that Mulan would be there in the morning. In the meanwhile, Mulan went into the dining room to join in the conversation.

They were talking about Shang's health. According what she heard, they got a tip from a woman saying that there was an injured man, which Mulan figured was Xiaohua. She wondered what she was doing up in those mountains, but she waved it off wanting to know more about Shang's situation. The woman said that she found Shang badly injured in the mountains. His head was lying on a rock and she guessed that he fell off his horse, but his loyal horse was next to him while his master was injured, trying to wake him up. After that, the older couple took him in, with the help of their kids and Shang has been here ever since.

"When can we take him home?" Mulan asked.

"It will be very difficult to take him home without hurting him," the old man answered, "But if he can walk, then it won't be hard and you will be able to reach home in a day. You may rest here for the night and then in the morning, if Shang can walk, you may take him. But as for now, my wife will show you your rooms." The old woman got up from the table and quickly grabbed blankets from a cabinet.

"Thank you so much sir," Chen answered him and bowed before he left.

…

Mulan's room was very close to where Shang was staying. Throughout the night, she couldn't sleep for some reason. Mulan kept tossing and turning in her bed. It was not because the bed was uncomfortable. She was just distressed.

Mulan then got up and made her way to Shang's room. She knelt down beside him and rested her head in his lap. Shang noticed and immediately woke up.

"Mulan," Shang whispered, "I'm tired and injured. You can't sleep here tonight."

Mulan giggled, "Shang I know. There's not enough room for us on this bed anyway. You take up all the room, especially with you being injured and everything. I just can't sleep but I want to be near you."

Shang gave her his hand and she held onto it. "Good night then soldier," he kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mulan whispered, but Shang was already asleep.


	5. Journey Back Home

"_Mulan!_" Mushu whispered. "_Get up now!_"

Mulan groaned and tried looking around but didn't see who was calling her. Suddenly all the lights flooded the room and Mulan found herself not being able to see at all. She wiped her eyes and saw by squinting that the kitchen, dining room, and Shang's room was all one big room.

"Why aren't you sleeping in your own bed?" the old lady asked Mulan. She and the old lady had not gone on good terms. In fact they seemed to hate each other. But could you blame Mulan for wanting to go and see Shang?

"I couldn't sleep, so I stayed near my husband just in case he needed something. After all, he can't walk. But why did you put him in this room and not in one where he could get plenty of rest in?" Mulan asked.

"The light makes him want to stretch his muscles and walk," the lady answered as a matter-of-factly.

"Well it didn't work!" Mulan replied.

The lady stared at Mulan and then walked away to prepare breakfast. From the back of the room, the former General walked in yawning. He looked at Mulan and saw that she was sitting next to Shang.

"Did you sleep there last night?" he asked. Mulan nodded. "On the ground?" he asked again and Mulan nodded.

"It's just like sleeping in a tent," she smiled at him.

"You could have slept in a nice comfy bed, yet instead you decide to keep watch over a man who should have been watching himself instead of thinking about other things!" Chen smacked his head, "Sheesh! You'd think a boy would learn! Having his wife spoil him…" he muttered.

"Thanks dad!" he yelled angrily as his father walked by. His father just smiled and shrugged, as if he was saying that it was true.

"Good morning," she smiled cheerfully, "It's time to try and walk."

Shang groaned. "Do I have to?"

Mulan glared at him. "Don't you want to go home?"

…

From the kitchen, Li Chen sat down at a nearby table watching the old lady cook. She was a little plump, but not too much. He secretly hoped she was a good cook, because he was hungry.

"I don't understand why he can't walk yet. It's been two weeks," she turned around and sighed as she placed the food onto the separate plates. "He only had sprained ankles, not broken legs or ankles or feet."

"Do you need help with that?" he asked and then lifted the plate for her to place the food on.

"It's as if," she sighed, "It's as if he wishes to stay here and be taken care of, like his wife won't take care of him like I do or something."

Shang's father was a little annoyed by this lady. First off, how dare she call Mulan lazy? Second, she was calling Mulan out. Third, Shang should care for himself. Mulan cannot always be there for him. "I think you're wrong," he told her sternly and looked her in the eyes, "Why don't you look at the couple now?"

They turned and saw Mulan helping Shang lift himself up from the bed. He was wincing as he stepped down. Shang then moaned in pain.

"Aii ya!" the lady screamed and started to run towards him, but Shang's father stopped her.

"Just watch them," he told her.

…

"Are you okay Shang?" Mulan asked.

"I think I'm better off with the lady," Shang groaned.

Mulan was furious. She angrily pushed him down on the bed, not caring whether or not he got hurt. She wondered now if he wanted to stay here because he knew he would get better care, than from her. Well if that was how he wanted it, then she wouldn't have him force himself to come home. "Fine, then stay!"

Shang then grabbed her hand, "I love you. You know I'm kidding. And that hurt!"

Mulan smiled. "I'm glad it did." She helped him off the bed and helped him walk to an open place with no furniture. "Okay I need you to stand here. I'm going to slowly let go of your hands." Shang nodded. Slowly Mulan stepped farther and farther from Shang, and slowly let her hands slip from his. Once Shang was standing on his own, his feet wobbled a little. Just when he felt he was about to fall, Mulan came in to help him. But Shang told her to stop and allow himself to stand independently. After a while, he was able to stand alone and stand straight.

"It seems to me like you know how to heal people with injuries," Shang smiled.

"My parents did this to me when I was little. I would ride on my horse a lot and as a result, I broke a couple of bones. But it was nothing my parents could not fix. I had to learn how to stand independently for a long time."

Shang smiled. She had been strong and feisty even at a young age. It was as if, going to training camp, smoothed out all her abilities and refined them.

"But," Mulan smiled. "This was one thing they never did with me. And I think it's time you learn how to _dance_."

Shang laughed. "I know how to dance!"

Mulan smirked. "I'm sure you did. Mr. I'm-so-good-with-girls? I don't think those girls saw your dancing skills. You need to learn how to dance for all the festivals I will take you too."

Shang sighed. "I feared that when I chose to marry you. And was I that bad when I danced with you under your cherry blossom tree?"

"Well you could just say that my feet hurt occasionally," Mulan smirked and Shang groaned. She stood close to him and looked him in the eyes. "Don't worry; we'll start with something easy. How are you at waltzing?" Shang shook his head no. "Oh I know you'll love it. This is the easiest way to make you walk." Yet he was still reluctant. Mulan sighed.

Mulan sang sweetly, "Take my hand." Shang unwillingly gave her his right hand and slipped his left hand on the back of her left shoulder. Mulan laughed, "Take a breath. Pull me close and take one step." Shang slowly walked with his weight on her, which he successfully did. She smiled looking at his progress. Mulan then lifted his head to look at her instead of his feet, so he would not be nervous, "Keep your eyes locked on mine, and let the music be your guide," she sang. Shang then looked fearlessly into her eyes and slowly waltzed with Mulan around the place.

Mulan smiled. "You're doing great. You haven't tripped or anything. And now that you're dancing, you can absolutely walk."

"I'm doing great thanks to you," Shang smiled, "How are your feet?"

Mulan laughed. "They're doing great. They haven't been stepped on." Shang smiled and Mulan stroked his face, "But I wouldn't have minded if you did. You can't be perfect at everything Shang."

Shang slowly leaned in to kiss Mulan. "Now did that hurt?" Mulan asked.

"Actually it did," Shang laughed. "Not the kissing part of course. I missed that," he winked. "It was more like leaning in."

"Well then let's make it easier for you," she led him back to the couch and Shang was able to sit himself down slowly on the couch. Once he lay down, he pulled Mulan onto the bed and she lay in his arms. They kissed while Shang stroked her hair.

…

"See?" The former General smiled as he watched his son lay with Mulan. "She's helped him in so many ways." He turned back around to see the old lady crying as she watched them, trying to dry her tears.

"That," she sniffed and wiped away more tears, "was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. She helped him walk and dance all in one. And she was so sweet about it too. He stepped on her feet a little, but she didn't care." She choked on her tears and placed the food on the table. "Breakfast is ready," she called sweetly. She then went into the kitchen and dried her eyes.

Chen got up from his seat and called out to Shang and Mulan, "Get up lovebirds. You'll see enough of each other on the way home. Come on, it's breakfast time!"

Mulan reluctantly pulled herself up from Shang and stood up. "What about one more kiss?" Shang grinned. Mulan sighed and quickly kissed him on the lips. She then pulled him up. Shang pouted, "That wasn't much of a kiss."

As she led him to the table she whispered, "You'll get what you can now. Otherwise you can kiss the old lady."

He laughed as Mulan acted like the perfect gentleman and opened his chair and allowed him to sit down. Shang, however, returned the favor and pulled her chair from his seat, and allowed her to sit in. Luckily Mulan was light, so he was able to push her chair in. The old man slowly walked in from his bedroom, and sat down at the table. Shang's father sat near Mulan, while the old lady sat across from Mulan smiling. For some reason, she had a change of heart and was smiling at Mulan now. Mulan smiled back. And as she looked around, it made her realize what her life would be like from now on: eating breakfast with her parents, with Shang by her side, and occasionally, Shang's parents. Mulan grinned. She liked what she was seeing.


	6. Shang's Leaving Home Again?

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a little short. But next chapter will be better and longer. Thanks to all the readers! R&R!**

"Breakfast was great," Shang's father shook their hands. "I cannot thank you enough for all your hospitality and how you saved my son's life. If there is anything that you need, do not hesitate to ask for help." He bowed in respect for them and left to get his horse.

Mulan and Shang slowly walked out of the house. Shang was not leaning on Mulan, but he was holding her hand for support, not that she minded anyway. On the way out, she bowed in respect to the old lady and old man. "Thank you so much for taking care of my…" she looked to Shang and smiled, "husband. I am glad you found him while he was injured and not dead. Thank you so much for nursing him back to health. I honestly cannot thank you enough. And also, thank you for your kindness towards me. I am actually glad I had to force myself inside your house. It truly shows your kindness towards any guest or patient regardless," Mulan bowed again. "Thank you so much. I will take care of this man."

"You are welcome here anytime Heroine of China," the old man smiled.

"And good luck taking care of Shang," the lady laughed, "You will need it."

Mulan laughed and looked at Shang, who was pouting. "I know. Luckily you did all the nursing. All I have to do is take him home. After all, Shang can walk now."

The old couple laughed and waved goodbye to Mulan and Shang. Shang got on the horse first and Mulan got on second. Shang sat in the back while Mulan sat in the front. He held on tight to her. "I'm not that picky or difficult to take care of. I'm not high maintenance. I was an army brat. I can handle myself." Shang muttered.

"I'm sure you are Shang," his father turned around as they started on their journey, "says the boy who had to be nursed by an old lady. You also don't like to eat when you don't like your mother's meals. I know they are pretty bad, but you would go and starve instead? And even though you grew up in the army, you were also one of the youngest. Your mother spoiled you."

Mulan laughed. "It's okay Shang," she held his hand for a moment as if she was giving support, "After all sir, being General isn't easy. Sir you should know. The only one to spoil Shang now is me. And trust me, I won't."

The former General laughed, "I know. I figured that. Good for Shang."

"Well at least Mulan can cook," Shang replied, "even if she doesn't spoil me, she's not going let me cook because that would mean trash for food. I'm a horrible cook."

"You learned that from your mother," Chen replied.

"Okay, enough fighting boys," Mulan interrupted them. "Let's just ride home as quickly as possible so we can get home."

"It's always the girl who can quell any fire," Shang's father responded.

"Oh but when the fight is on, it's the girl who has the most fire and spirit," Shang smiled, "You should have seen her at camp father. 'Boys, you don't deserve the title soldier. You have to earn it,'" Shang said trying to imitate Mulan.

"You know Shang," Mulan retorted, "You make fun of me about that because you _wish_ you had the power and influence over those soldiers like I do."

Shang's father tried to hide his laughter, but was unable to. "She just told you off! Are you going to do anything about that?"

Shang smiled. "You may be tough father, but I'm the wiser. Anyone knows that when a woman is controlling the horse or has the most control, you don't do anything to make her angry. Besides, I'm injured. Anything she hits at me will actually hurt this time."

"Coming from you General, I'm going to take that as a compliment," she laughed, "But you have learned your lesson."

…

It was early nightfall when they reached Mulan's house. They took their horses into the stables and Shang walked with Mulan's support. The former General was not too far behind, watching how his son was walking and whether he was improving or not. Once they reached the front door, Mulan's parents ran out to greet them. All together they walked in. But they were so tired, they all decided to go to sleep early.

By morning, Mulan led Shang to a chair for him to sit on. She sat nearby on the same seat. His father sat on a chair nearby, and Mulan's parents stood in front of them, asking how their journey went.

"It was fine. And I plan to leave this morning," Shang's father looked at them, "I'm sorry for the early leave."

"Oh well you can stay as long as you wish," Mulan's mother responded quickly, "Shang is injured. If you ever need us you can always come back here."

"That's the thing," he looked down, "Shang has to come home with me."

"What?" Mulan and Shang asked and turned to look at him.

"Shang you need to come home. You've been gone for so long." His father replied.

"Why don't we let Mulan take care of me?" Shang smiled.

The former General sighed, "You need to take care of yourself. You can come back when you are all better. Besides, your mother and I need to talk to you. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Shang nodded. He was not going to argue with his father, and neither would Mulan. Mulan's mother understood and immediately got their bags out from their room. Shang's father carried these bags out to the horses, while Mulan helped Shang walk along.

As they got on their horses, Shang kissed Mulan goodbye and rode off with his father on his horse alone. As Mulan waved goodbye, she wondered when she would see Shang again.


	7. Shan and Shang

**Author's Note: Everyone's questions will be answered in this chapter, which I couldn't wait to release. I started working on it as soon as I submitted these chapters today, but Chapter eight will come some day. And sorry I kinda went all High School Musical in Chapter 5, I was watching it and I thought it was kinda cute:) And as for the village, I sorta came to the idea where it was an independent village that only relies on help from their own village and does not want to help those who only cause trouble (I kinda got it from the Star Wars shows...yeah I know I watch a lot of weird shows.) And in this story, I want to show Mulan's intelligence and strong way of doing things...After all she is the Heroine of China:D**

**Special Thanks to: (for reviewing my chapters! You guys are the best!)**

**Trackrat - hahaha LMAO it's okay I would have probably died too. Mulan would have been my inspiration!**

**Koolbroadwayreader - I just noticed what your sn was (i'm kinda slow) what's your favorite broadway musical? And in the reviews...like I said, you seem to know what I'm thinking most of the time! haha especially with the old lady part...I tried to make her likeable but I still didn't really like her**

* * *

Mulan groaned. The sunshine crept up slowly across her face and she turned around to face in the opposite direction, but it didn't help. She put the blanket over her face, but that didn't help much either. She put her head face down on the pillow. Sure it was still a little uncomfortable, but at least she could sleep in peace.

"Mulan!" her mother called from the house's front door. "It's time for you to get up!"

"Speak of the devil," Mulan muttered.

She had finally gotten some peace and her mother calls her to get up. Her mother, on the other hand, had no patience for this. She ran into Mulan's room and pulled off the covers. Mulan groaned. Her mother tried to pull her off using her arms, but Mulan, the good warrior, managed to get away from her mother's grasp.

Mulan's mother sighed and gave up. She threw the blanket back on Mulan. "I'm sorry Shang; I thought she'd be happy to see you, after waiting another two weeks for your recovery."

"Shang?" Mulan immediately sat up in bed. She, however, couldn't see anything because all her hair had fallen in front of her face. Overall, Mulan's hair looked like one big glob.

Shang quietly chuckled to see Mulan distraught that he was in the house. He could tell she wanted to look better than how she looked now, but he could care less. Mulan, who was completely unaware that Shang was in the room, ran to her mirror to fix her hair. Once she got it a little under control and was able to see, she saw that Shang was standing at her door.

"How long have you been standing there?" Mulan asked in horror. She didn't want to turn around, but was frozen at the mirror, looking at him only through the mirror's reflection.

Shang returned the look and laughed, "Long enough to see you distraught that I was in the same house, and long enough to see you anxious to look better for my presence. Mulan I have seen you look worse than that, and I'll have to someday." He walked over to her and smiled.

"Thanks?" she asked, unsure about whether it was a compliment or just a shot at her.

He slipped his arms around her waist as she continued to fix her hair. She smiled and happily sighed to be in Shang's arms again. He bent down to rest his head on her shoulder. "I've missed you Mulan," he whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek.

"Me too Shang," she turned and faced him and then gave him a slap on the face, "You don't know how much you scared me by disappearing like that!"

"Well I finally got all your letters," he laughed, "Seems like your mother placed them in my bag before I left. I wonder why I didn't get them."

"Never mind that," Mulan smiled, "I got your treasure." She lifted her hair to show the necklace. Mulan also led him to the window to show him how fast the magnolia tree was growing. She then kissed him on the lips. "I love you Shang."

Shang returned the kiss and held Mulan in his arms. However he decided to move his arms farther down her waist. Mulan giggled but then removed his hands.

"I don't think so Shang," she laughed. "You must be pretty crazy to think that."

"I'm crazy about you," he teased. "Besides we're getting married so soon. Why wait?"

"Because true love waits," Mulan smirked, "I think we should wait till we get married."

"Well that didn't stop us the first time," he grinned.

Mulan laughed, "I don't care. I think we can manage a week."

"Speaking about getting married," Shang started.

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts," Mulan warned him.

"No, no," Shang reassured her, "Not at all. I'm afraid I couldn't come here just for pleasure and to visit. I come here with a message from the Emperor. He wants to see both of us and be prepared for a mission."

Mulan sighed. "Again? Can't he wait until after we get married?"

"I'm afraid not," Shang replied, "He says this mission is very important."

Mulan grunted. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

…

Once they reached the palace steps, a man guided them into the palace. Some servants took away Shang's horse and Khan. Mulan and Shang walked hand-in-hand to the Emperor's meeting room, where they found him sitting at his table along with other members of the Counsel. Mulan spotted Shang's father who sat alongside his son, Shang's older brother. He had all his father's features, while Shang had a mix of both his parents. Without a doubt, Mulan agreed that Shang was more attractive than his brother. Shang opened a seat across from his father for Mulan. He, on the other hand, sat in front of his brother, who just looked up briefly and then back down at the map.

Mulan whispered to Shang, "Is that your brother Cheng?" Shang, for some reason, refused to look at him, but nodded yes to Mulan.

"Ah Fa Mulan, I mean Counsel Fa," the Emperor greeted her, "How wonderful it is for you to join us here."

"I'm afraid that this meeting is not going to be pleasant now is it?" she asked.

The Emperor shook his head, "Unfortunately, one of our missions has failed and we need you to go and see that it succeeds."

"What mission?" Mulan asked.

"We sent a girl to go and marry one of the Qui Gong princes, from the Middle Kingdom." The Emperor started.

"Sir," Mulan replied, "I am sorry, but I am not up for marriage. I am already engaged to Li Shang."

"I refuse to let Mulan marry any man. _We_ are to be married in a week." Shang answered.

"That's not the part that went wrong," The Emperor replied. "The prince is happy with his new bride. They have been married for two weeks already. Unfortunately, we sent a diplomat over there to discuss the army plans and our agreement. However she disappeared."

"She?" Mulan asked.

"That she happens to be Xiaohua," the Emperor answered her question, "The only source and link we had to the Mongol tribes."

"Sir I thought we had a deal! I am not to be Xiaohua's bodyguard. You yourself promised. I was not up for her joining our intelligence, but to accept it, you promised that neither I, nor Shang would act as her bodyguard."

"But we need her now. And if she is not alive, our hopes of dealing with the Mongol tribe are thrown out the window and into the river. Please do it Fa Mulan," The Emperor pleaded.

Mulan looked to Shang, "_Should we do it?_" she asked him in her mind.

"_The Emperor is begging us. And he's right, we do need her. Let's just get it over with Mulan. They trusted us with this mission, and think we are the only ones capable of accomplishing it._" Shang replied.

"Fine," Mulan replied reluctantly, "but we will need assistance."

"I have chosen the perfect man for the job," The Emperor replied.

"Sir, with all due respect, I was thinking that Fa Mulan and I should choose the man," Shang answered him.

"And who do you plan to choose?" Shang's brother asked. "Those three buffoons you call heroes?"

Mulan knew he was referring to Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling. She was going to respond back, but Shang beat her to it. "Those men are trained. They are highly skilled and helped get the Emperor to safety. If there is anyone that I trust, it is those three." Mulan was glad she was staying out of this fight, but it wasn't before long before she wished she could say something.

"What would you know about trust?" he retorted, "You're marrying the girl who deceived you and all of China!"

No one in the room laughed. In fact they just seemed to stare at him. Shang was about to jump up and attack him, but Mulan stopped him. She placed a reassuring hand on him and breathed in slowly. "_He's not worth it Shang. He's not worth losing your control_."

"_Did you not hear him?_" Shang was seething through his teeth. "_How dare he insult you..._"

Mulan smiled. "_Don't worry, I'm fine. It's nothing I'm not use to_." She however glared briefly at Shang's brother, before facing the Emperor again. "Who do you plan to give us?" she asked.

"His name is Shan," the Emperor proudly answered, "He was also trained in the Army Academy and was at the top of his class. He however chose to guard me here at the palace than join the army. Shan agreed that you, Li Shang, would make a better General than he. But he would like to work with you. Shan is trained in stealth. He is quick and knows how to stay hidden. He is good at aiming and quick thinking. However, he is not as clever as you are Fa Mulan, or as accurate as you are Shang, since he is a rookie and relies greatly on speed, resulting in carelessness. But with you and Shang combined, I think you'll do just fine."

The Emperor pointed at the door and cleared his throat. At that moment a man entered into the room. He was tall and built. You could tell he was strong. He had beautiful black hair and dark mysterious eyes. He was certainly handsome, but maybe not as much as Shang. Mulan smiled, which Shang noticed.

"_Don't get any ideas Mulan_," he warned her.

Mulan looked at Shan, who continued to smile at the people around them. He then caught Mulan's eyes and grinned. She then returned the look and pursed her lips.

…

Shang sighed as he and Mulan walked out of the room. "This is why I didn't want you to meet my family," Shang muttered, "My brother is on such a high horse because he is the oldest. He thinks he's too good because he's a Counsel and not a General. I do all the dirty work while he just relaxes. He doesn't even show up for family gatherings even though he used to live at my parents' house. He and Xianxi just escape and go somewhere else. Now he just stays at home and rarely even speaks to my parents. What a jerk face. Sometimes I wish…"

"That's enough Shang," Mulan told him, "Don't worry about him. He is nothing." She said that as they walked by him. She chose to ignore him as he stood alone at the door. His father had long gone and did not even say goodbye to him, but he did greet Shang and Mulan good luck on their mission.

As they got into the stable, they both got their own horse and placed their bag on the side of the horse. While Shang had one bag, Mulan had two. From behind, Shan joined them.

"Good morning Shan," Mulan greeted him kindly, "I am Fa Mulan. Most of the plans will be thought out by me, but the commands come from Shang. Do you understand this and our mission?"

"Ah!" Shang turned around and found Shan there, "I didn't see you. Looks like you're as good at stealth as the Emperor bragged."

"Yes Fa Mulan I understand," Shan replied, "And General Li, actually it seems to me like I need some work. Counsel Fa here heard me. What gave me away?"

"The rustling of the hay on the floor," Mulan answered him and threw his bag to him, "I have very keen ears. I can hear an arrow coming my direction from far away. But let's hurry and get going!"

Shan nodded and got on his horse.

"And by the way," Shang added, "You will not call me General Li or Li Shang in that matter. Nor will you call Mulan, Counsel or Fa Mulan. We must keep a low image in the wild, so that we are not discovered. My codename is Jhen, Mulan's is Jia, and your name will be Chen. Is that understood?"

Shan nodded in agreement.

"Well then," Mulan smiled, "Let's get moving!" And as they rode off, Mulan had a small smirk on her face. "_Looks like this journey is going to be very interesting._"


	8. No More Codes

**Author's Note: I should be working on summer reading...NAH! haha I just wrote the next four chapters and let me tell you...It's suspenseful! But I'm not releasing them all at once, because I accidentally skipped Chapter 10 :) Oops:) I'm glad you guys are enjoying my stories! Thanks to all the subscribers! :) R&R! I want your feedback!**

**Special Thanks to:**

**Koolbroadwayreader-We need to fix the whole Mulan thing sounding like your dad...It's probably cuz of the 'true love' thing. But don't worry, she's not acting like your dad here! And my favorite Broadway is Wicked, Les Miserables, but I LOOOVE RENT! I bought the soundtrack!**

**Trakrat-It is gonna get good! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Diamondeyes3411-Welcome back LOL. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for your feedback! :) And there's a lot of fighting between Shan and Shang! :D What's better than two buff guys fighting? ;) And as for drivers ed...I hated my instructor! I had 4 different teachers and when I finally thought I'd get my favorite teacher for the test...I get some random guy! I never even had him. So I failed my drivers test...NOT because I hit something or broke the law, It's because when I was backing up in a straight line...I didn't check my blindspot. I WAS PISSED! I was almost done with the test too. But have fun:)**

* * *

The journey was pretty quiet so far. But Mulan was enjoying it. China's landscape was so beautiful. And with the birds flying about, the clouds high above, the sight of China's hard work shown in the fields of workers and changes to the land, and all the flowers filling the breezes made Mulan feel happy and forget the mission for a while. It certainly took a load off of her shoulders.

Shang, on the other hand, was not enjoying himself. The stress of the mission success was heavily weighing down on him. He couldn't see the peaceful nature all around him because he was too busy looking forward. Shang was also a little suspicious of this new guy. He had seen the way Mulan looked at him when he walked in, and he did not like that.

Shan was thinking about Mulan. He loved the way the wind blew her hair back. She looked so carefree and wild, as if this mission was just another adventure to her, something she would do for fun, and if it failed, the more of a game it would be to her to try and regain success. And though the Emperor said he was good in stealth and quick, he was also careless and not much of a perfectionist. In fact he was the opposite of that. But part of his mission was to get to know this Fa Mulan a little more.

"Why don't we rest here in the shade for a while?" Shang asked. He was distraught. He even looked like he was out of it.

"Are you okay Shang, err I mean Jhen?" Mulan asked.

Shang glared at her briefly and then closed his eyes to take a deep breath, "I'm just a little nervous about this whole thing _Jia_," he emphasized her codename to show that he didn't want to forget. "I need to relax a little. We'll make more distance over nightfall."

"We're traveling at night?" Mulan asked in exasperation. "Are you crazy?"

"No," Shang replied, "We'll make more distance since no one will be around. We'll be able to run quicker this time. We can rest here and then sleep during the day. But someone will have to stay up for a whole day and night. We'll take turns. Besides, Chen agrees with me on this one, we'll be able to stay more conspicuous during the night."

"Jhen is right on this one Jia," Shan replied as he grabbed a few fruits from nearby, "It'll be easier to travel at night and stay hidden if we follow through on his plan."

"Okay," Mulan replied with a sigh, "Because three travelers at night doesn't look suspicious or sound odd in the least bit? We might as well just say our names too!"

"Jia don't you think I've already thought that through?" Shang said with a smirk, "The Emperor has already contacted all the police and patrollers. I've got this under control. If they find someone else out later well then they'll know _they're_ up to no good, which can bring us closer to find Xiaohua."

Mulan sighed. "Okay whatever. But let's hurry up already! I want to get a move on! I want to at least reach another town before we stop and rest."

"I thought you were enjoying the nature all around you?" Shang asked and then grinned.

Mulan growled. "Curse you for reading my thoughts." She then walked with Khan to get a drink.

Shan came back with a basket of fruits and showed them to Mulan. She smiled and wondered where she could get them. But she turned back to Shang and she couldn't leave him alone.

"Why don't you come with me and see if there is anyone nearby, someone that could pose a threat?" Shan asked and then whispered, "And explore the place with me instead of waiting around here and resting?" He smiled and so did Mulan.

"What about Shang?" Mulan asked.

Shan shrugged. "What about him?"

"We can't leave him here!" Mulan whispered.

"He'll hardly notice we're gone," Shan grinned, "Look he's asleep! He won't even notice we're gone! We'll be back before he even wakes up!"

Mulan looked back at Shang who was sleeping peacefully under a tree. She didn't want to wake him up, but she didn't want to leave him here. He would be defenseless, but then again his horse was so protective of his master. Shang would also wake up before any dangers were present anyway. Mulan would be around before Shang would wake up. Besides, Shan and she were just going to check out the villages around to see if anyone had any food or posed any threat.

Mulan looked and Shan and nodded yes. He placed a finger over his mouth to gesture that she should be quiet. He then got on his horse and helped her up. Shan kicked his horse and sped into the forest and it was then and there that Mulan let out a little squeal of joy. For once, she was about to have some fun.

…

Once they were deep into the forest, they slowed down. The nature around them was so beautiful. The trees seemed to touch the sky so high above. From around Mulan found the places where Shan found the fruits and vegetables. They continued to ride till they found a waterfall that flowed into a river, which would lead them back to Shang.

"So where would you like to go Jia?" Shan finally asked with a laugh.

Mulan laughed. "I hate that name! I'm not even used to it! Everyone knows me anyway! I mean this name is useless."

Shan laughed. "I agree. Besides, the name doesn't really fit you. But neither did your other name, Fa Ping, I mean 'flower pot'? Is that the best you could do?"

Mulan laughed, "Hey it was on short notice! I hadn't thought about that part yet. I was so concerned about trying to fit in like a guy, instead of acting like a girl. Well some of the men I was near acted like girls anyway."

"Well I bet you know now what names to use," Shan replied.

"Well now I won't have to hide the fact that I'm a girl," Mulan smiled. "That whole experience seems so long ago. But I've learned so much from it."

"Oh?" Shan asked as he jumped down from her horse. He then walked away to allow Mulan to jump down herself.

Mulan smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't help me down."

Shan turned around and faced her, "I'm sorry did you want me to help you?" He then bowed like a servant.

Mulan laughed. "No I didn't want you to. I was just so surprised that someone finally let me help myself down on my own. Shang usually helps me down. But then again, Shang always helps me do everything, including my own battles."

Shan smiled, "I bet he means well."

"I guess," Mulan sighed and walked over to the river and stared down at herself, "But it's a little funny. It's as our roles have been switched around. I mean I'm supposed to be taking care of Shang, which he lets me do occasionally. But most of the time, I find myself being treated by Shang. But see, that's where I would have been a good wife. I would take care of Shang. I can take care of myself. I don't need a man to get by."

Shan laughed, "It seems to me like you don't want to get married. But I don't blame you, we're still so young. You look barely any older than seventeen?"

"You were right, seventeen," Mulan sighed, "I'm getting married because I love Shang and I guess it's time for me to settle down and have kids and Shang is ready for that too."

"So let me get this straight," Shan asked, "You're getting married because you love Shang and you think he is ready to marry you. Are you ready? I mean Shang can certainly wait if you're not ready. If he truly loves you, then he'd wait, wouldn't he?"

Mulan smirked. "I am ready to get married. I don't think I'd find someone as good to me as Shang. And Shang proposed to me."

Shan smiled and sat down beside her to wade his feet in the pool. Mulan followed and sat down too. "I bet you could find someone just as good as Shang. But you love him and he loves you. Just be sure that when you marry someone, it's someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Not everyone is lucky to have that option. So use it while you can."

"Do you have a special someone Chen?" Mulan asked.

Shan shook his head. "No," he looked at Mulan in the eyes, "I haven't found the right person yet."

Mulan looked away and laughed nervously. "_Was this guy trying to get me alone? Does he like me?_" she wondered.

To avoid an awkward situation, she splashed water on him as a joke. But Shan found it funny. He also splashed water on her. The fight got more intense as Mulan started throwing fish at him. Mulan laughed and decided to have her revenge on him. So she charged at Shan and threw him into the water. But now Shan could get wet and not care. He continued to splash Mulan.

"Ah!" she yelled as she realized that her whole dress was wet.

Shan laughed. "You should just get into the water now."

"I'm not just going to jump in." Mulan replied.

"Fine," Shan got out of the river and grabbed Mulan's hand. He led her further into the forest. They had to go through several vines and past several trees. But once they reached their destination, Mulan saw that it was definitely worth it. "I want you to jump from here. I'll jump with you. There are no rocks at the bottom, so you'll be safe. But you have to jump."

Shan walked all the way to the edge of the cliff as Mulan watched. "Just make sure you don't jump in flat. It'll hurt your stomach." He laughed and then jumped in backwards. Mulan ran to watch him flip in the air before diving into the river.

She gulped before she decided to jump in. Mulan took one last look at the river. She closed her eyes and jumped in. She was screaming the whole way. Before she hit the river, she did a flip to jump into the river head first. Once she arose to the river surface, she started laughing.

"Now that was fun wasn't it?" Shan asked. "I guess you are as brave as they say you are, diving in head first. Impressive, I must admit."

Mulan smiled. "They don't just call me the Heroine of China for nothing!" She swam to the river bank and got out of the river. She pulled Shan out also. "Follow me," she told him, "there's one more thing I want to do." Mulan took him to the waterfall top again. "We're going to ride the waterfall!" She grabbed his hand and together they jumped in and yelled at the top of their lungs and they reached the edge of the waterfall and fell down into the river.

Once they got out of the river, it was sunset and they decided that it was time to head back to camp, but not without one last game.

"You have to hit the target I specify," Shan told her.

Mulan smirked, "Easy enough."

Overall, Mulan won, but she was sure Shan didn't let her win. After all, Shan was careless and not precise. She won fair and square. To let Mulan win was not in Shan's character, though it was in Shang's. Either way, she wins.

Once they reached the camp, however, their laughter soon turned sour. They returned to find an angry Shang staring them down. He was busy preparing the camp up. There was a fire going and food hanging above it. The horses were eating and ready, except for Shan's of course. Once he noticed their presence, he stared at them for a long time and Mulan and Shan did not know how to react. But the very irritated Shang just sighed and went back to work, tending the fish. He was playing the silent treatment with them.

"Listen, err Jhen," Mulan started.

"Save it Mulan," Shang angrily interrupted her.

"I thought you said to use codenames," Shan said with a smirk. Mulan glared at him to say, "_This isn't time for those jokes. You need to be serious._"

"I said save it," Shang said in exasperation.

"Well Mulan was talking," Shan angrily answered him, "Whom you so rudely interrupted."

"Did your parents ever teach you to respect authority?" Shang seethed through his teeth.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Mulan yelled to get their attention. "Now Shan, this is not the time and place for jokes. And Shang, I'm sorry. You were asleep and we didn't want to bother you. We had meant to come back before you woke up, but we just got so caught up in well…" she looked down at her wet dress, "having fun."

"So you abandoned me, and not to mention this mission, to have fun?" Shang angrily asked.

"Sure," Mulan answered back sarcastically, "Whichever point of view floats your boat sir! You were asleep! It's not like you weren't abandoning the mission either!"

"No more," Shang answered her, and turned away from her.

Mulan angrily walked away muttering, "It's not as if you know how to have fun. You don't know how to do anything but stay serious. All there is, is the mission, the mission, the mission, and the mission. The only time you ever had any fun with me or paid any attention to me was when _I _was the mission!"

She looked back at Shang who was just sitting at the campfire eating his fish. Mulan fought the urge to yell back, "_Sometimes I wish you were like Shan_." And she gasped realizing what she was saying and what she meant…


	9. You Can't Get the Best of Both Worlds

**Author's Note: More tension between Shan and Shang guys...it almost reaches it's climax here. :D I was thinking of making this the 10th chapter, but I decided to make it the 9th. Enjoy! R&R! I want some feedback!**

**Special Thanks:**

**Trakrat- Yup she's slowly falling for him...but nothing Shang can't stop right? I'm sorry, you'll have to read the rest of the chapter to see how Mulan/Shang turn out or maybe if it turns out to be Mulan/Shan :/**

**Koolbroadwayreader- LOL I thought it was the true love thing. Well that's good:) And haha Mulan has keen ears. She's beast. And even though Mulan is falling for Shan, I don't really like him much either. But you never know how this story will turn out:)**

* * *

It soon reached nightfall and like Shang wanted, they were going to travel at night. It was too dark to even see anything; luckily they carried lanterns but that gave them away. Shan, on the other hand, suggested that as soon as the moon was high enough in the sky, to rely on its light and stay hidden within the forest. They would wear their dark robes to hide and disguise themselves in the shadows of the forest.

The whole journey was quiet and Mulan was anything but calm. In fact she was angry. Angry at Shang for overreacting and angry at herself for a certain thought that seemed to come up a lot now. She secretly hoped Shang wouldn't read these thoughts. It was as if, the closer she got to Shang, the less privacy she had. Mushu had assured her that her thoughts would stay hidden if she wanted to, but Mulan couldn't help but feel paranoid, because what she was thinking was something Shang could not know.

Earlier in the day Shan and she were alone in the woods. Mind you, they didn't do anything a married couple would do, or anything Mulan and Shang would do actually, which disappointed Mulan in the sense that things she would do with Shan are things she wouldn't do with Shang. Shan was so fun and carefree and wild and well Shang, he seemed to tie her down, especially now. Sure Shang was a little jealous, which Mulan thought was cute, and after all she couldn't blame him, since she was the same way with Xiaohua. But if Shang was jealous, why wasn't he trying to spend more time with her? He knew that she loved him way more than she could ever love Shan. When Mulan was jealous, she, on the other hand, was not even sure if Shang loved her than Xiaohua. So of course, she stepped back only when she thought that it was true that Shang loved Xiaohua, after the kiss those two shared. But Shan hadn't kissed Mulan. They hadn't done anything, except swim in the waterfall together, but she knew Shang wouldn't join them, so it wasn't even a big deal. So why couldn't Shang talk to her? Why was he avoiding her? Even if he was mad, he couldn't stay mad for that long. He had refused to talk to her the whole day.

And Shan. Shan. Shan. Shan. He drove Mulan _crazy_! He was carefree and wild and fun to be around, more fun than Shang himself. Shan knew how to have fun, how to take risks, how to live on the wild side. Shan was open to her and frank. He wasn't afraid to say how he felt, unlike Shang, whom she had to often pry open to see how he felt even though Mulan already knew how he felt most of time. And with Shang and her getting married soon, Mulan wondered if she could live with a man who kept something as important as his feelings away from her.

Shang was so reserved and calm, which is something Mulan didn't really understand. He was a General and if anything, you'd think he'd want to kick back and relax occasionally. He lived in danger, with surprise attacks and everything else. So why wouldn't he want to have fun?

Mulan's only conclusion for why Shan was so wild was because he didn't live in the face of danger almost every day. He only guarded the palace, and how many dangers even made their way to the palace without being stopped by the border patrol and army. Shang probably found his fun in each battle.

But Shang was someone Mulan could count on. He would always be there for her no matter what she did. Because before they discovered that they loved each other, they were friends, best friends. Shan, though, was someone Mulan as a little unsure about. Sure he was a good friend, someone to have fun with, but Shan couldn't take things seriously. In fact, when Mulan wanted him to be serious, he wasn't! And this annoyed Mulan more than anything.

For once, just following your heart was more complicated to Mulan, because it now mixed with her mind. She knew the right thing to do, and her heart told her that it was right. But at the same time, her heart yearned for another thing, and her mind told her that it was the wrong thing. She knew it was wrong, but she still wanted it. Mulan was torn.

Mulan sighed. She needed something to get over this and she wanted to sleep on it, but of course she couldn't because General Li over here wanted to travel at night.

Shan was the only one that noticed that Mulan sighed. He smiled, "Why don't we speed up this journey a little bit? We'll be able to reach our destination faster, sleep longer, and we'll be able to travel farther distances since it is nightfall." He spoke loud enough for Shang to hear, and then whispered to Mulan, "_And we can have a little fun, so you can take your mind off whatever is bothering you._"

Mulan smiled. Shan was trying to cheer her up. "I agree," she was trying to hide her smile to avoid suspicion from Shang; "We'll be able to reach our destination quicker. And we have to travel a week. The faster we get done, the slower we can take things. On the way to Qui Gong, there are several large cities," she then muttered quietly, "_since Shang decided to take the damn long way._"

"Fine," Shang replied softly.

Shan cheered loudly and then kicked his horse to speed off. He relaxed a little and actually let go off his horse bridle. Shan kicked off his hood to feel the wind his hair.

Mulan giggled and ran off to follow him. She also knocked off her hood and removed the tie in her hair. It felt good to feel the wind in her hair. It felt good to ride at such as a fast speed. She hadn't ridden this fast in such a long time, for purely pleasure. Even Khan seemed to enjoy it as he neighed as they rode along the flat landscape.

Once they reached the more hilly part of the landscape, Shan continued to ride at quick speeds. And Mulan had to keep up with Shan. But she wasn't used to riding at these speeds on hills. She watched as Shan would fearlessly jump off the hills with his horse, and then slide down the hill. He gestured for Mulan to try it. And when she did, she was having the time of her life.

As the sun broke across the sky, they finally slowed down. And as Mulan was having the time of her life, she failed to see Shang who was riding right beside her. Also, after riding with all her energy, she was quickly tiring out, especially after a long day swimming in the river, riding the whole night at top speed, and staying up all day and night. She could barely see who was next to her. And after the exhaustion, she slowly fell off her horse.

"Mulan!" Both men yelled, and Shang caught her.

As Mulan snuggled in Shang's arms, she yawned and got comfortable. She felt around and realized she was in someone's arms, though she wasn't sure who it was. She then raised her arms up and her hands found Shang's face. She caressed it and Shang softly chuckled. Mulan sighed. She smiled and whispered, "Thanks Shan."

And at that moment, Shang growled and glared at Shan, who could easily see the General's battle face, with the sunshine crawling slowly over the area.


	10. This Girl Took My Love Away:Shang

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry. I never meant for you guys to hate Mulan, or Shang, nor Shan. After I saw all of your reviews, I rewrote Chapter 10. I'm not even kidding, even the author's note! I just don't want you guys to hate Mulan or Shang or Shan. But I do agree, it's time Shang starts fighting for what he wants. You'll see why in Mulan's point of view next chapter. This time, this chapter is from Shang's point of view. You get to see exactly how he feels. Enjoy:) R&R**

**Special Thanks to:**

**Koolbroadwayreader**

**Trakrat**

**Chelle93**

**Diamondeyes3411**

**Serenity74**

-I never knew how much you guys loved Shang. Well I'll admit...I'm more of a Mulan/Shang person. Well it'd be nice to see how this couple turns out despite all their problems. And I'll admit, Mulan is a little bit confused which explains her odd behavior.

* * *

_Flashback: "Shang I'm sorry!" Mulan yelled at him._

"'_Sorry' doesn't cut it anymore!" Shang argued._

"_Then what do you want me to do?" Mulan asked with tears falling down her face, "I've told you sorry several times! I don't know what to do anymore! Don't be angry at me! I love you!" She pleaded and begged._

Shang grunted at this thought, trying to erase it.

_Flashback: "Shan? Really, Mulan? You're falling in love with your own comrade?" Shang scoffed at her._

"_Oh please! Don't give me that!" Mulan retorted, "After all, you and I fell in love! Unless you're too scared to even show how you feel about me?"_

Shang sighed and wondered exactly what she even meant by that.

_Flashback: "Don't even start!" Shang replied, "With you, it's only about words, words, and words! Have you ever thought that I could show you that I love you in other ways?"_

"_I've been trying to explain myself this whole time and tell you about the slight feelings I felt for him! But all you've done is ignore me!" Mulan yelled at him._

He wondered if she really even meant that.

_Flashback: "All I did was have fun with him for one day! It's not like I kissed him!"_

Shang growled. "_It's not like I kissed him!_" he mimicked Mulan in her high voice and she turned around and glared at him. Throughout the duration of this journey, he had been going over the fight in his head, wishing that he had said more, and that it hadn't gone down that way. They had been going down this road for so long. And not just this trail. Or in other words, Shang and Mulan had gone down this "argument path" for so long. The two wouldn't talk, and if they did it was only to argue. It had been a tossing of words and much more. This trip and arguments not only started bruises and cuts, but it also opened new wounds. Shang sighed. This whole time he had been going over their fights.

"_Mulan doesn't understand_," "_She doesn't see what I see,_" "_She's forgetting me_," "_She's taking the easy way out_," "_She's not thinking,_" "_She's jeopardizing the mission!_" These were all Shang's arguments, not with Mulan, not with Mei, but with himself. And Shang knew it. He knew he was making these excuses, but why not? It was certainly easier and he didn't know what to do with Mulan or even how he felt about her anymore.

"Shang," Mulan said interrupting his thoughts, "Where are we going? There's a fork in the road."

He sighed and looked at her fierce eyes. To him they said, "_I'm angry at you, I hate you right now, but I have to talk to you because I am forced to_". And just like this fork in the road, they were torn between two decisions: marry and forget about this week, or actually facing their problems and seeing where it would lead them. Shang was just afraid that it might lead her away. And something told him, Mulan was afraid of the same thing.

"We'll go west. That is in the direction of the kingdom anyway, and where Xiaohua might have disappeared." Shang replied.

"Have you ever thought that she may have taken the wrong way and as a result is in the condition she is now: lost, confused, and unprotected? I think she went down this beaten down path." Mulan replied with a little anger in her voice. Since their fight, which luckily Shan was not present during, Mulan and Shang had been keeping things on the down low. They hadn't been showing their anger towards each other and Shan seemed completely unaware about it. He still continued to talk to Mulan, but the only difference was that she didn't talk to him much.

"First of all," Shang replied, "She was traveling with an intelligent soldier. He knew where he was going and what to do. There is no way that he went down the wrong path."

"Then explain his disappearance, and Xiaohua's inability to be found and the fact that she still has not made her way to Qui Gong. After all Shang," she looked him deep in the eyes, "People do make mistakes."

Shang returned the look. He knew that last sentence was a direct hit at him. She wanted to let him know that she made a mistake and to be forgiven. But she also shot at him, "_his mistake to kiss Xiaohua_" and the fact that she forgave him anyway. "We're going down this road. And if you don't want to follow then that's fine!" he answered her sternly.

"You're really going to leave your own betrothed here Shang?" she asked sarcastically and batted her eyes innocently, "_It's not like you care anyway_." She muttered and quickly changed her innocent act into her constant angry behavior that had become so routine.

"Oh trust me Mulan," Shang turned around to make sure she was following, "I couldn't leave you even if I tried."

And for once in a long time Shang actually heard Mulan's voice in his mind, asking him the same question he had been wishing to ask her, "_Do you actually mean that?_"

…

Later that night, Mulan entered his tent with a dark red robe covering her. Shang sat up in surprise looking at her. He wore his same outfit: cream pants and a matching shirt, that was open and showing his chest. "And to what do I owe this visit?" he asked.

"You said you wanted me to show that I loved you in a way other than words," she replied, "Well then I'll give you exactly what you wanted. This is how much I love you." And at that moment she took off her robe revealing her in only a dark corset and lace panty. She got down on her knees and leaned on Shang. Mulan kissed Shang as she explored his chest with hands. The kiss grew deeper and deeper as Shang caressed her body with his hands. Just as Shang was about to take off her corset Mulan backed away and sat in front of him.

"What?" Shang looked at her surprised.

"I want to talk to you," she told him, "And the only way I could get that is by teasing you." She smiled and grabbed her robe.

Shang sighed impatiently, "What is there to talk about Mulan?"

"Oh so we can make love, but when it comes to talking between you and me, you can't spare me a moment?" Mulan asked angrily.

Shang sighed and gestured for her to continue.

"No," Mulan replied, "Because if you don't really want to talk to me then I don't care anymore. Shang, you and I have a history. Don't you forget that! We have been through so much together and I haven't forgotten that. I still wonder if you love me, because I'm not so sure about you anymore." She got up and put on her robe, and walked near the door, "You know, Mushu made me decide right then and there who I had to choose to marry: Shan or you. He gave me two pictures to look at. And I'm sorry if this may come as hard to take but I need to tell you the truth. I had a hard time choosing. I stepped back for a while and thought I might let my heart decide, but even then I was torn. And when I let the wind blow me in one direction, to have one picture fly on my face, let me tell you I was disappointed with what I saw."

But before Shang could ask whose picture she saw, Mulan ran out the door.


	11. Don't Want to Say Goodbye But I Have To

****

Author's Note: I was watching a Hannah Montana episode (which by the way, sucked! I'm sorry any Hannah fans!) And I was interested because she had to choose between two guys…I decided to take a spin on that! Enjoy! :)

Special Thanks to:

**chelle93: Just for you I'm releasing two chapters. Chapter 11 and 12:) And yes I know they belong together. Honestly I am Mulan/Shang not Mulan/Shan. You'll see why in this chapter**

**Koolbroadwayreader-she was teasing him LOL. Thanks for reviewing:)**

**Trakrat-I don't understand what you mean...and well Thanks for reviewing:)**

**RuthWannabe-I'm glad you like my stories, and yes I love the Strange Familiar. But you cried? During which parts? I'm really interested. I didn't know my stories were that well written. Thanks! I'm glad I found someone who actually feels really connected to this story. :) Thanks for reading/reviewing my stories.**

* * *

As Mulan woke up, she had hoped to wake up to the peaceful sounds of nature: sounds of birds singing in the trees, the rush of the waterfall, or even nearby villagers whistling softly as they worked. Instead she heard more fighting outside her tent. It was Shan and Shang again. She never knew what they were fighting about, because each time she came into the picture, they stopped and avoided talking to each other. Now she would be able to listen in.

"She loves me more than she will ever love you!" Shang yelled at him.

"You don't know that!" Shan yelled back. "Have you noticed that she's rarely talking to you?"

"She also doesn't talk to you much!" Shang argued, "Mulan and I have a history. We have a true love for each other, something you wouldn't understand from meeting her after a week. I know almost every part of her! I bond with her in ways you wouldn't understand."

"Do you hear yourself?" Shan laughed, "All I hear is a whip! Someone has been whipped! Mulan doesn't want a man who is soft! She wants a strong man! One who can stand up and fight for his belief. A man who is just as stubborn as she is."

"And what I hear is Mulan being annoyed for the rest of her life," Shang retorted, "She wants that, but there's a line between annoying and bold. I'm just bold and strong, which is what she needs. You don't know what she needs anyway! I've known her longer! I love her more than you! You're just infatuated with her."

"I am not infatuated with her! I am in love! I don't think you understand that!" Shan shouted.

"Oh yeah? Why do you love her?" Shang asked.

"She's beautiful and strong and everything a woman should be unlike these girls nowadays." Shan said with a smirk, thinking that his answer was good, but Shang laughed.

"Hah!" Shang laughed, "Like I said, you're just lovesick. You don't see past the physical things and underneath. You only know the China story everyone who wasn't in the army knows. While you weaklings stayed in the palace or at home, Mulan and I fought our hardest against the Huns. She trained harder than you know. I saw her weaknesses. I saw her strengths. She saw a side of me, no one in the army ever saw. I truly love her past her glory, past her beauty, past everything you seem to love about her."

Mulan groaned. These men were fighting over her. "_How ironic,_" she thought. It was just about a year ago that the Matchmaker told she would never bring her family honor, in the form of a bride at least. She never thought she'd find someone as great as Shang to marry. Mulan always thought she'd marry some farmer, or if she was lucky, some of a noble status. She never thought she'd marry Shang, someone richer than noble status and richer in his beliefs and strengths. Shang was strong and brave, especially to accept the General position, which his brother hated enough to make him skip out on it and become a part of the Emperor's Counsel instead. But now Mulan found herself between two guys.

Shan also loved her. He was also rich, but not as much as Shang. But then again, what did Mulan care? He was handsome too. Shan could be brave, but he was just so immature at times. He made her laugh, which Shang mostly failed to do. Shan was carefree and wild, something Mulan always was, but with Shang, he tied her down.

Mulan was torn, but she didn't want to get into this fight. So she snuck out of her tent quietly. Shan and Shang were off fighting in the other direction, as usual, near the trees. Mulan's tent was a little far from them so she was unseen. She was almost successful in reaching the lake without being seen, until Shang turned around.

"Mulan!" Shang called out to her.

She winced and turned around to face him. "Yes?" she asked.

"Please tell Shan that it is me whom you love!" Shang replied with a smirk.

"Really, Shang?" Shan retorted, "She loves you? If there's anyone that she has learned to love, it's me!"

"No it's me!" Shang yelled back, turning to face him again.

"No it's me!" Shan yelled and then also faced Shang.

"_Pick me Mulan!_" Mulan heard Shang's voice in her mind. "_No pick me Mulan!_" She also heard Shan's. "_I love you more than he ever will_!" Mulan heard. "_He doesn't know what he's talking about!_" Mulan's mind was filled with their voices. She couldn't even tell them apart anymore. They all kept yelling her name, getting louder and louder. She tried blocking them out, but the more it bothered her. Their voices soon became haunting to her, calling out her name, begging for her love.

"Stop!" Mulan commanded to the voices and to Shan and Shang as she covered her ears. "I can't take this any longer!" She shook her head, shaking off the tears that fell from her face. It was all too strong for her. Her mind was distraught and unclear. Shang made his way towards her to try and comfort her, but Mulan angrily pushed him away.

"You two have been acting childish this whole time," she told both of them. "I can't take this anymore. We are to be focusing on the mission! Not on me! The mission, must I remind you, is to find Xiaohua! Not to win my love!"

"Will you then tell us whom you love?" Shang asked gently.

Mulan screamed in exasperation. She vehemently threw a rock at Shang, and luckily he dodged it. Mulan knew she wasn't acting like herself, but she couldn't help it. These men were also not acting like themselves. And with the stress of the mission's need to be fulfilled, and the stress these men were putting on her, was driving her crazy.

"You cannot force me to marry, nonetheless one of you." Both men gasped in surprise. They had thought Mulan would pick one of them.

"Maybe you need some rest Mulan," Shan offered, "I can see you're not thinking correctly."

"No," she told him angrily. "I am in my right mind. It's you two who are causing me to go crazy. And honestly, I am sick of you two. But if you must know who I love, then I'll give you the straight answer, no sugar coating, no lies. Just my raw emotions." Both men gulped. They weren't sure about what to expect. They feared her decision.

_And right above them, the sky started to darken, as huge rain clouds filled the sky._

Mulan started saying, "Shan," He smiled and released his breath. Shang, on the other hand, was not happy, and just before he was about to protest Mulan continued, "You are wild and crazy and carefree, which is something I love about you and something I am myself. Sometimes I wish Shang was this way. You move based on your heart and what makes you happy, and most of the time, that makes me happy." Shan smiled. "But you and I would be crazy. And there is a fine line between _fun and carefree_ and _wild and crazy_. You are wild and crazy. And sometimes when I am too wild and crazy, I can count on Shang to be there. I don't see you being the man I can count on as I get older. In fact, I can see you dying younger than I because you're too wild and crazy." Shan's smile turned to a frown, while Shang smiled.

_Soon thunder could be heard all around them._

"Oh don't get too happy yet General," Mulan replied, turning Shang's smile into a slight frown. "Yes you're brave. Yes you're handsome. Yes you're wealthy. You love me, you're true to me, and you always keep your promises. My mother loves you and thinks you're an angel sent down from heaven. My father loves you like his own son. You're the perfect gentleman. You're smart and you're gentle to me. All of my friends wish they could marry you."

"Mulan, but what? What's wrong?" Shan bitterly asked, "He's perfect. What else could you want?"

"That's the same question I've been asking myself this whole time. I wish Shang made me laugh the way you do Shan. I wish Shang was wild and crazy for once in his life! I wish he would do something crazy for once, like visit me late at night, when he's not suppose to, or kiss me in the rain when everyone's watching. I wish Shang would get rid of that stupid rule book in his head that governs his every thought and his every decision! Sometimes I wish he was you!"

_And as the rain fell upon them, so the tears fell down from a young girl._

"What do you want me to do Mulan?" Shang asked, "Do something stupid? Make a fool out of myself?"

"Yes!" Mulan replied, "Sometimes I wish you could get off your stupid high horse that makes you think you're so perfect and wonderful all the time and notice that it's me you're stepping on! I wish you would embarrass yourself! I wish you went with the idea that made sense to your heart instead of the most sensible thing! For once in my life, I felt alive when Shan came along, and you yourself, you turned into my brother! I know you need to protect me, but you need to learn that I can protect myself. I need you to love me like you would love me! Love me in the way that I need to be loved."

"What do you want me to do?" Shang asked in exasperation, "I don't understand! If Shan makes you happy then why don't you marry him?"

"Because I don't love him!" Mulan yelled, "I love you! I just wish that you would let your heart bleed for once instead of hiding it from me! You love me and you tell me that you would do anything for me! But all I'm asking for is to show me that you love me! What happened to the man I knew? The man who would do small things to surprise me? I know I'm asking for a lot, but all I need to know where your heart is, and right now I don't feel it." Mulan wiped away some tears and finally calmed down enough to say softly, "I know it may seem to you like I'm asking the world to move for me, but all I want to see that you would try and love me enough to do that."

Mulan wiped her tears and got on her horse. "I'm sorry that you and I drifted apart of the past couple of days. That was partially my fault but it was also yours. You let me go." She grabbed her stuff and left her tent there.

"Where are you going?" Shan asked.

"I'm leaving," Mulan replied, and quickly rode off without looking back. She was drenched in the rain, but what did she care?

Shan turned to Shang and looked at him. He just stood there watching her go, as if he was in a trance. Once she was out of sight, he still stayed there staring out into the forest, possibly hoping that she would come back because she left her tent. "Are you going to go after her?" Shan asked, interrupting Shang's thoughts.

"No," Shang replied, "She needs space."

"No," Shan answered him, "What she needs is you. And what better way to show that you love her than to follow her?"

"I've already done something like that," Shang softly answered, "That's not much creativity on my part."

"Are you thinking correctly, nonetheless at all?" Shan asked with a smirk, "The girl isn't asking for any damn creativity! She's asking you to show that you love her! She's asking you to stop thinking so highly of yourself! She's asking you to be wild and crazy! To have fun for once! At least she loves you!"

"And yet," Shang replied, "My heart is telling me to give her space, to let her calm down." Shan knew he couldn't argue with that, and Shang knew that. He had hoped it would stop Shan from pressuring him. But Shang knew it was wrong, because what Shang's heart was really telling him now was that he was a coward: for letting her go, for not going after her, and for hiding away his feelings from her.


	12. A Walk to Remember

**Author's Note: All I can say is that, this truly is a walk to remember.**

* * *

"_Um… you…You fight good."_

Mulan giggled as she remembered this thought.

"_Would you like to stay for dinner?_"

Things were so much easier then.

"_Ping, you are the craziest man I've ever met. And for that I owe you my life._"

Mulan agreed she was pretty crazy. She remembered the kindness she saw in his eyes up on the mountains. Why hadn't she seen that in a while? Or was it because she hadn't been paying attention?

"_So you want a girl based only on physical features, like hair, eyes, and body shape?__Well if you ask me, the type of girl I want is 'a girl who's got a brain, who always speaks her mind._"

Mulan sighed. Why couldn't she see that this was how Shang said 'I love you'?

"_There is nothing worse than not being able to see or talk to you._"

Mulan wondered, "Than why aren't you with me now?" But she knew why, it was because she had pushed him away.

Mulan slowed Khan to a walking pace as she got towards the palace, which gave her plenty of time to think. All these memories kept coming to her mind. She knew she didn't mean everything she yelled at Shang, but she was just so angry. She didn't love Shan nearly as much as Shang. But what would she do?

Mulan had finished the path and saw the palace and everything. Yet there was no sign of Xiaohua. So she had decided to go down the path she originally wanted to go down. But it was taking so long and the sun was quickly setting, yet there was still light all around. However, the shadows were growing upon the path and Mulan had to quickly get to the palace before dark fall. But, then again, she was the Heroine of China. She could defend herself even without Shang. She didn't need Shang. She was happier without him. Oh who was Mulan kidding? It was already a few minutes and she was already thinking of him.

In the far distance Mulan found what she was looking for, Xiaohua. Immediately she forgot everything and rode off to get her. As she neared her, she saw two men attacking her. Mulan had to do something. "Xiaohua!" she yelled, "Duck now!"

Immediately Xiaohua heard Mulan's command and fell straight to the ground. And at that moment, Mulan reached into her bag and threw two spears into the men's' chests. The men then fell down the ground dead, bleeding all over. Xiaohua watched in the center as the men around her died on the ground. She stood up and was shivering, cold from the wind, and scared to death. Mulan got down from Khan and handed Xiaohua a shield, which she took slowly. Mulan also handed her a bag, filled with spears and arrows and a sword.

"Did those men hurt you?" Mulan asked and Xiaohua shook her head, "Good. Well I am your bodyguard, in case you forgot. I am to guard you with my life. You must remember your mission. But in order to complete the mission, you have to tell me what it is you are doing so I can help you accomplish it."

But before Xiaohua could speak, Mulan held out her shield to block her from the oncoming arrow. She then grabbed Xiaohua and they ran to Khan. Together they rode on Khan. Mulan put in the front to protect her. "Steer Khan now! Get us out of here!" She commanded Xiaohua. From the sides, Mulan protected her with shields, and would occasionally throw spears at them.

Finally, when Mulan either killed them all off or got far enough away. They rode into the palace where Mulan and Xiaohua stayed. Mulan warned them of the outside danger and their possible threat and attack on the palace and Xiaohua. Mulan called for extra surveillance around Mulan and Xiaohua's room. Xiaohua asked for Mulan to share a room with her, for protection and two, for planning.

…

When Mulan and Xiaohua were finally alone in the room, and Mulan made sure no one was listening, they sat down on their beds and got ready for bed. It was already late at night so no one would be awake, except for the palace guards.

"What is your mission?" Mulan asked. "Do you know why those men were attacking you? And what happened to your other bodyguard?"

"I am to keep peace between us and the Middle Kingdom and hopefully the Mongol tribes that in any way possible does not harm China." Xiaohua responded. "My bodyguard was killed defending me from the men who are against my campaign. Luckily the men who attacked me where just thieves, who were unaware of what I was doing, but who just wanted my jewelry."

"That is why you should travel lightly next time," Mulan responded, "You cannot dress like a palace official until you actually meet the people you are bargaining with. In order to survive in the wild, you must blend in with the wild. Next time we travel, you will wear nothing but a simple dress."

Xiaohua nodded, agreeing with her bodyguard's plans, "I must accomplish this before the Huns reach our border, which is possibly by the next moon."

"Why that is just a week or a few days from now! How do you plan to do that?" Mulan asked astoundedly. She knew that mission was probably not going to succeed or even kill her in the process.

"I'll do whatever it takes Fa Mulan," Xiaohua said sternly, "even if it means marrying off a Hun or a prince of this kingdom. We need Qui Gong's help badly, or if that does not work, peace with our attackers. You yourself must understand this."

"Not the marriage part," Mulan shook her head in disbelief, "You are to give up many things for China, whether it is your life or your values, but not your happiness. What we, I mean, Shang and me, all the Counsel men, the warriors, the Emperor are all fighting for is for China's happiness, including yours, even if you weren't born here. You are now a citizen of China. And if you spend your whole life unhappy with your decision, who are you really helping?"

"I am helping China! That's what!" Xiaohua answered her, "I know you don't really like me Fa Mulan, which is something I will always understand. But even you must understand what I have to accomplish!"

"I do," Mulan told her sympathetically, "but not the part that calls for your unhappiness. You don't love this man. Sure you'll live in royalty and be able to keep your job, coming to and from China, but you won't be happy. There has to be other ways."

"Speaking of happiness, where is Shang?" Xiaohua asked as she slowly fell on the bed.

"He's," Mulan didn't know exactly how to answer, "not helping me out with this."

"You don't trust him Mulan?" Xiaohua asked angrily, "You don't trust me?"

"Xiaohua!" Mulan barked back, "What goes on is none of your business! I needed his help! I never asked him to go. If anything, I need him now more than ever. Besides I left him."

"And he didn't follow you?" Xiaohua asked.

Mulan shook her head no, "I can't believe I'm telling you this story, but what happened is a long story. Would you like to hear it?"

Xiaohua nodded.

Mulan started her story, "I was sent on a mission to go retrieve you since you had gone missing. I was thinking that Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling would be assigned to us. Instead we were given a stealth palace guard named Shan. He was funny and fun to be around, but he was crazy and wild and I couldn't see myself being married to him. But Shang, the whole time he was angry and mean, and I understand why. But at the same time it drove us apart…"

Xiaohua remained quiet the whole time and listened intently. Once Mulan finished she answered, "So who did you end up choosing?"

"No one," Xiaohua gasped, but Mulan replied, "Don't worry about it Xiaohua," Mulan turned around on her bed, "Just go to bed. We have a long way to go."

Xiaohua nodded and pulled up the covers. She turned and faced the door. Mulan, on the other hand, got up and watched Xiaohua fall asleep. She sighed. Today did not go well and she hoped that tomorrow would be a little better. And as she looked out the window, she wondered exactly where Shang was and what he was doing, hoping and praying that maybe, he heard her thoughts and pleas in his mind.

…

As Shang sat looking at the stars he wondered where Mulan was. Was she at home? Shang didn't think so. Mulan was honorable and knew what her goal was: to find Xiaohua. No doubtedly, she was already at the palace with Xiaohua. And then again, Shang found himself thinking of her again.

"_Where did I go wrong?_" Shang wondered. "_It was when she went away with that sly, despicable, no good, lying Shan!_" Shang shook his head. It wasn't right to exactly blame Shan. This was partly his fault. "_I should have…_" He sighed. There was nothing he could have done. Mulan was clearly falling for Shan, and why, because he wasn't as exciting as Shan? Well Shang couldn't be as exciting without looking like a fool. He also couldn't be sweet to her without acting like a wuss. He was a man. He had to act like one. But then again what kind of man lets the woman he loves go?


	13. It's NOT Too Late to Apologize

**Canadarulz-I'm not trying to start a fight here, but I don't think Shan is like your character in your story. Yes I've read your story. The only thing that is the same is their name. Shan in your story takes care of Mulan. Our stories are completely different. So Shan acts differently from the Shan in my story. So I'm sorry if you're angry, but the only thing I took was his name. I haven't read your story in so long. Shan is wild and crazy and is trying to take Mulan away from Shang. Shan on the other hand in your story is protecting her. If you see the similarities, well fine. But I don't.**

**Special thanks to:**

**chelle93-Yes I had to do it for you. Plus they go well together :) **

**koolbroadwayreader- haha I'm actually starting to like Xiaohua...surprisingly. Weird right? And yes Mulan doesn't really pick anyone, until this chapter :)**

**diamondeyes3411 - you get your wish:)**

**trakrat - haha I got it. Personally, I liked Jesse better LOL. and yes that PM thing. :P haha whatevs. I could care less. **

YOU guys are the best! :)

* * *

It had been a while since Mulan had awakened. She woke up around the time of sunrise. Being in the army had made her this way, but it was mostly because her mind was distraught. It was now morning and Xiaohua was not awake yet.

Mulan sat on her bed staring outside her window watching as the sun slowly lit up the sky. She had opened the door to allow cool breezes to fill the room. Even though Xiaohua was not awake, Mulan knew she had to get ready for the next part of the mission. Over the past couple of days, Xiaohua had managed to convince the Lord of this kingdom to form an alliance with China. And after the successful marriage of his son, and with Mulan's "persuasion" with a sword, he agreed to it. After that, she knew that she had to head over to Mongol territory. Though she didn't want to leave yet, Mulan decided to get packing.

While Xiaohua was asleep, Mulan kept moving back and forth from her bed packing her stuff. She started with Xiaohua's stuff and then moved to her stuff. With her back turned to the window, Mulan suddenly heard a noise coming from behind her. Once she turned around, she swore she saw a shadow run from the curtains. Immediately Mulan grabbed her sword and moved along the wall to slowly approach the spy. Once she jumped out of the window and onto the balcony she found the spy, but was disappointed at what she found.

"Oh it's you," Mulan sighed and retracted her sword.

"You don't seem happy to see me," Shan replied.

Mulan scoffed, "No, I'm not. I'm pretty pre-occupied with this mission. So if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."

Shan smiled, "Oh darling, don't you remember? We're a team!" he put his arm around Mulan and brought her in closer. Mulan looked at him disgustedly and threw off his arm. "I was assigned to help you with this mission, remember?"

"I think," Mulan raised her voice, "I am doing fine! I was doing well without you, and happier not having to see you." She turned away from him, "Besides, where's Shang?"

"Who?" Shan asked sarcastically.

Mulan's patience was quickly falling, "Why I ought to…" and before she could charge at him, Xiaohua called her name.

"Mulan?" Xiaohua called. Mulan could see her getting out of bed from the curtains. Xiaohua was rubbing her eyes trying to find her. "Where are you Mulan?"

Shan whistled and walked inside. He looked Xiaohua down from head to toe and smiled. Mulan scoffed and gave him a glare that said "_She's off limits_". Once Xiaohua realized Mulan was in front of her and could see, she asked, "Who's the guy?"

Mulan growled, "This," she said through her gritted teeth, "is Shan. The guy I was telling you about." For a moment she watched as Xiaohua pursed her lips, but then once she knew about Shan, she frowned.

"Well," Xiaohua replied, "I need a bodyguard to come down with me," she looked at Shan to emphasize this, "to talk to Lord Chin one last time."

Mulan hadn't missed this little glance, so she decided to make things a little more difficult for her, "In your nightgown Xiaohua?"

Xiaohua nodded and quickly grabbed Shan, "I'll get the maids to give me something to wear," and as she stepped out the door with Shan she muttered, "She'll finally get what she wanted. Thanks Shan."

And as the door shut Mulan thought about what just happened and wondered why exactly Xiaohua even trusted Shan. After all Xiaohua knew her longer, unless she wasn't really going to go see Lord Chin. But just before she was about to run out the door Mulan heard a voice from behind say, "Stop running. For once, can you just stay in one spot?"

Mulan turned around to face that all too familiar voice. He stood behind the curtains and as he walked out from Mulan gasped. He smiled and walked up to her and caressed her face. "Why…" was all Mulan could say before he silenced her.

"Back there you did all the talking, but now it's my turn," he told her, "I'm sorry I'm not as fun or carefree as Shan. Well I grew up. I matured. I'm sorry I can't make you laugh the way he does. Well I'm not so great with words when I'm around you. I'm sorry I think before I act, it's a part of the Army Rule. Even you do that. I'm sorry you think I'm the perfect gentleman, I'm sorry I keep my promises. What can I do? It's who I am. I was just trying to be perfect for you. You know, people would tell me all the time that I didn't deserve you. I deserved someone better. For so long I didn't listen to those voices and it frightened me to hear it coming from myself. Well I think I don't deserve you. I'm sorry that may come as a shock to you. But I still love you and even if I don't deserve you, I still love you. We've been through so much and I just can't forget that. I'm sorry I'm not the type of man who just shows his feelings so easily and let's the whole world know that I love you. I'm just not that type of guy. But I try and tell you that I love you in every way that I can. So now I have to ask you, whose picture did you see? Tell me now who you love. Because unlike you, I won't back up if you say that you love somebody else. I will keep fighting for you until you love me, even if it means fighting until I die."

"Shang!" someone yelled from outside and immediately he ran from inside and jumped from the balcony to the ground. Mulan sighed and followed right behind.

Xiaohua was fighting to keep away from Shan. Shang immediately kicked Shan in the groin and ordered him to go back home and to the palace. Shan crawled to his horse and like a coward rode back home. Xiaohua hugged Shang tightly and thanked him as she cried. But once she got a sight of Mulan, she smiled and walked away.

And as Mulan and Shang stared at each other, the rain fell down hard on both of them. Yet their eyes never left each other.

"Shan!" Mulan yelled.

"What?" Shang asked as he got closer.

"I saw Shan's picture. And I was disappointed. When he was there at my window earlier today, I was disappointed. The first thing I asked was where you were. Sure you made me angry, but I will always love you. I gave you everything I have. You know everything that I am. I'm sorry."

Shang smiled, "And I'm sorry."

"So then let's just forget about all of this before we hurt each other again," Mulan started but Shang stopped her with a kiss.

Once they broke apart, they hugged each other. "Look we're kissing in the rain," Shang chuckled, "But no one's here to watch us. And at least this time, I surprised you, didn't I?"

"I didn't mean half of the things I yelled at you," Mulan confessed, "I was just angry. I just said things."

"What did you actually mean?" Shang asked curiously.

"Well for starters, the screaming, the fighting, the kissing in the rain," she laughed, "I'm joking with you. But I can completely see that I was acting insane. And I'm glad you're not wild and crazy because you calm me down. I would be on a fast track to disaster if it weren't for you and my mother saw that too. And even though you don't recite little poems for me, which I'm glad you don't, I like seeing how nervous you get trying to tell me how much you love me. It shows a more sensitive side of you and a side I rarely get to see. Because after all, you are a General and you can't show fear."

"I think," Shang looked up to the sky, "we should get out of this rain."

Mulan smiled and looked up to the rain. She loved the feel of the rain on her face. It was refreshing to her.

And Shang loved that she wasn't afraid of the rain like most girls were. She didn't wear make-up, so she wasn't afraid of any paint washing off. But it's not like she needed any anyway. He smiled and carried her back to her room. And Mulan was happy because she finally realized the benefit of having a protective strong man like Shang around.

Once they reached the room, Mulan sighed and locked her door and window. She sat down on her bed and Shang got a towel to keep her dry and warm, so she wouldn't catch a cold. "What about you?" Mulan asked.

"I'll be fine," Shang replied, "No need to take care of me; I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can," Mulan smirked. "But I need to change so I can get out of these wet clothes." She walked over to her wardrobe and got out her night clothes, which consisted of simple shorts and a shirt. Mulan turned to Shang and smirked, "Well I need you to turn around."

Shang's face reddened and he turned around. "Right, I should…" He sighed. And Mulan giggled. She loved it when Shang stuttered. He had meant to turn around and glare at her, but found himself staring instead. She was in just a corset and panty, just like that night when she was in the tent.

"Oh Shang," Mulan called him out of his trance, "I need your help. Can you help me untie this corset?"

Shang nodded hypnotically and walked over to untie it.

"Normally I would do this myself, but it's been so tied up and…"

Shang slowly started to fade out. Mulan's voice became softer and softer. He soon became unaware of his surroundings or her voice. Once he slipped off the corset, he started caressing her arms, and feeling her back. He softly heard Mulan's voice call out to him, "_Shang_," is what she would say. "_Shang_," the voice grew louder, until it interrupted his reverie.

"Shang," Mulan laughed, and slipped on her shirt. "It's not like you haven't seen me like this before."

Shang kissed her neck and Mulan moaned. "Not in a while," he whispered in her ear. Shang lifted her up and carried her to the bed where he gently placed her. He continued to kiss her neck while Mulan moaned.

"Shang," she said breathlessly, "I've missed you so much." She slipped her arms around him and took off his wet clothes leaving him bare. And while she was doing that, Shang managed to take off her shirt.

"This is payback for teasing me back," he smiled and sat up.

Mulan also sat up and brought up the blanket to cover herself up. She smirked and leaned in closer to Shang. "Can you really resist?" she kissed his lips and then pulled away. Mulan leaned back down and pulled Shang down to her.


	14. Changes

**Author's Note: Sorry I have been taking a while on my story. I started writing another story, The King and Queen of Hearts. And with that, I had to change my writing style, dialogue wise. Writing with a Southern tongue can be challenging at times and may have kind of dampered my grammar, so I apologize. But thank you for all the reviews I appreciate it! I'm glad you guys love my story!**

**Special Thanks to:**

**Trackrat: Thanks for your review! We'll get started on our story soon!**

**Leah: Thank you for reading my story and your review! I'm glad that you like my story!**

**chelle93: Yes Xiaohua is finally turning around! I'm glad too! Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like my story!**

**PatTy: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad that you love both of my stories and think they are the best you've read! I'm very happy to hear that! :) Thank you! Your review brought a smile to my face! **

**RuthWannabe: I was very touched by your review! I had no idea my story brought on emotions like that! This may sound mean, but I am glad that you cried. I'm glad you had some emotion in this story, because that is what I have been trying to do this whole time: have you relate to the character and feel something when you read these stories.  
And did you cry last chapter, when she said that the picture she saw was Shan's? That was one of my favorite scenes that I've written so far. And I'm glad you love my story! And btw, The Way I Loved You is one of my favorite love songs, ever! **

* * *

Mulan sighed as she woke up in the morning. She was in Shang's arms and was warm underneath the covers. Their legs were intertwined and her head lay on his chest. She felt his soft breathing as his chest slowly rose up and down. As she looked at him sleeping, she giggled because she thought he looked so cute. Mulan slowly traced his face with her hands. His skin was not as soft, but a little rough and thick; probably due to all the training he had to go through. She played with his tousled hair which was now let down and loose and not tied up in its usual fashion.

"_Mhmm_." He sighed and brought her closer to him. One of Shang's hands was around her waist, while the other was on her arm near the shoulder bone. He gently massaged her waist and she moaned. "Good morning," he whispered softly in her ear and kissed her neck.

Mulan giggled. "Good morning to you too." She moved his face closer to hers and kissed him on the lips. Once they broke apart she sighed and laid her head on his chest.

"What's wrong Mulan?" Shang asked trying to calm her.

"We have another mission to accomplish," she told him unhappily, "And it's not going to be easy."

"I'm sure we can handle it," Shang said proudly, "After all we do make a good team." Mulan could feel that he was smiling even though she wasn't looking at his face.

"Shang, we have to go out of China's borders and talk to the Mongol tribes." She told him.

Shang gulped. Mulan could tell he was not so proud anymore, and maybe he was even scared. This time they had to do a mission that had no sure outcome, but had to end right. Mulan sat up in bed and looked at Shang, "What if we don't make it Shang? China can't afford to lose you! You're the General!" She then had one tear fall down her face, "Shang I can't afford to lose you."

He immediately sat up and gave her a reassuring hug. She rested her face on his chest. "Listen, as long as I am alive, I will make sure that you are fine and well. Because I can't afford to lose you either."

Immediately the door opened and Xiaohua stepped in, "Shang!" she yelled but then stopped when she saw Mulan and Shang. "Oh," she looked away, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No," Shang told her, and let go of Mulan. He slipped on his pants and got up from the bed. "What do you need Xiaohua?"

"Lord Chin wishes to see you now," she told him, "He says that it is urgent."

"Well," Mulan replied and slipped on a shirt and shorts, "He can wait. Shang needs to get dressed and meet up with him in the proper attire." She got up from the bed and brought Shang is uniform and armor. She helped him dress up, just like any good wife would.

Before Shang left, he gave her a kiss and walked out the door, quietly shutting it. Mulan then sighed and started to also dress. Since it was just Xiaohua in the room, she didn't care. But Mulan was able to change quickly before she even noticed she was changing. She changed into a simple robe that was dark olive green and blended in well with the forest. Outside, dark rain clouds were filling the sky. Even though it was still early in the morning, there was not a trace of light in the sky. And somehow it fit Mulan's current mood. "So," Mulan asked, trying to spark up a conversation with Xiaohua, "Where were you last night?"

"It doesn't matter," Xiaohua replied, "I was just in a different room."

"Well thank you," Mulan smiled. "I know you did that for me."

Xiaohua sat up on the bed and smiled. "You're welcome Fa Mulan. I want you to trust me. And I want us to work together well. I really and truly am sorry for my earlier actions, but I have changed."

Mulan smiled, "I believe you."

…

Once they cleaned up their bags and were packed, Mulan and Xiaohua both made their way to Lord Chin's meeting room. They were originally going to wait for Shang to come back, but after waiting twenty minutes, they decided to go on ahead. Along the way Mulan noticed that it was quiet, quieter than usual, she added.

When they reached the meeting room, Mulan greeted the guards, but none of them said anything back to her. She took the hat off of one of the guards and realized that there was an arrow directly pointed into his head. Mulan screamed and jumped back. Xiaohua just stood there in horror. "If the guards are down…" Xiaohua said to Mulan, she gasped. Mulan knew exactly what she was thinking and immediately kicked down the door.

Mulan gasped in horror. Xiaohua screamed and Mulan had to place her hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. The tables were broken in half. The chairs were all over the place. Some of the councilmen were unconscious while others were dead. And in the middle of it all was a terrified Lord Chin who was sitting in his seat hyperventilating. A man was treating him.

From behind Xiaohua picked up a letter. "Fa Mulan listen to this! It's a letter from the men who did this."

Mulan immediately turned around, "What does it say?"

"It says,

_Dear Fa Mulan,_

_We know who you are and we are watching you. You are lucky to not be captured by us; your dear husband saved you. We originally came here for you, but your husband made a deal we could not resist. We would take him for you. Now, you have a chance to save your husband, by coming and trading you for him. _

_Yours truly, Tan Ming_

_P.S._ _If you want to know where your husband is, ask Lord Chin. He set this whole thing up._

Mulan growled and grabbed a rope. She threw it up in the air and pulled it down. Along with the rope came a man. He was scared and dressed in all black. "How did you…" the man started to ask.

"Are you by yourself?" Mulan angrily asked, "Lie to me and I will kill you."

The man shook his head. "They made me the only man to watch you and see how you did," he nervously answered her.

Mulan screamed and stabbed the man in the chest. She then dropped the man and wiped her sword with his clothes. She then ran up to the chubby Lord Chin and grabbed him by the shirt collar. Mulan spit in his face and then yelled, "Where is Li Shang?"


	15. Stealing

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a little short, I'm kinda busy. LOL Sorry y'all (again with my Southern dialogue) I couldn't make things perfect for Mulan YET. That would be too easy, non? But I had to make the story more interesting for you chéres. But I'm glad ya'll are enjoying this story :) R&R! Oh and btw, I'm thinking of changing my sn to Reine de Coeurs so I just wanted to let my devoted readers/fans know that. My sn now seems a little depressing. **

**Special thanks to:**

**Trackrat – haha you're welcome. Lol. I do love suspense and how you guys react to it! :)**

**Chelle93- Drama and suspense are what I love to write :)**

**Diamondeyes3411- LOL sorry. I had to make it that way. Don't you want to see how Mulan would react to this and what Shang would do if it came down to that?**

**PaTTy-I'm writing as quickly as I can, sorry for the long absence!**

**RuthWannabe- haha I'd love to tell your bf that! (btw, your sn…Love Babe Ruth C: ) haha dramatic…LOL.**

**Serenity74-YAY! I'm glad you're on the edge of your seat! That's what I wanted! Haha don't worry, you'll find out who these guys are soon enough! **

**Koolbroadwayreader-I LOVE THAT MOVIE first of all:) And I thought you would say that about Xiaohua! I wanted to make her more likeable since it's going to be just her and Mulan on this journey now.**

**Rachel – WOW. I'm glad you're devoted into reading my story. I actually decided to update today because of you. Checking the website everyday—that's dedication lol. Thank you! I'm glad you like my story…or stories? **

"_I promise your father that I would protect you no matter what. I don't intend on breaking that promise, ever_."

She remembered Shang telling her that. And it would always be true. Even if she and Shang had been arranged to marry, he would do the same for her because he loved her. If Shang had not survived and she was left alone, she was not sure who to marry or if it would even be worth it. "Where is Li Shang?" Mulan nicely asked one last time. She glared fiercely into the chubby man's eyes. They were filled with fear. But she didn't care because right now all she wanted to was to find Shang. "Where is he?" she yelled.

Lord Chin continued to hyperventilate except at a faster rate. The medical doctor treating him gave Mulan a glare. He sighed. "Will you please stop asking him questions?" He went back to treating him, "Can't you see that he is already emotionally compromised?"

"Listen," Mulan angrily responded, which scared the doctor, "My husband is missing and the fate of the Chinese army rests in Shang's alive or dead status! So if you know what is good for you and your kingdom, I suggest he better spill some answers!" Just as she was about to charge him with her fist, Xiaohua lay a calming hand on her shoulder.

Mulan turned around and looked at her. "Mulan," she sighed and whispered, "Calm down. Once the man stops hyperventilating, then you may ask him questions aggressively. I know you're angry and want to kill Lord Chin for making this deal, but right now, you need answers and you're not going to get them from a man who can barely breathe."

Mulan nodded and just looked at Lord Chin expressionless. Immediately his breathing went back to normal. She noticed this and calmly asked, "Where is my husband?" Mulan took a few deep breaths to keep herself from exploding.

"I…I…I don't know," the man stuttered.

Mulan took more deep breaths and closed her eyes to calm herself down, "I know you know where they took him. You closed the deal. Where is Li Shang?"

"I…I…I don't know," he answered, "They just took him."

Mulan was quickly loosing patience. "You know!" she shouted at him. Xiaohua tried to calm her down but Mulan just pushed her away. She was about to charge him with her sword but he ducked and cowered.

"Okay!" he told her, hoping she wouldn't kill him. "I did start this deal. But the deal wasn't to have Shang." Mulan glared at him but stopped, waiting to hear more, "the deal was for these men to stop robbing me. They quickly overpowered us because had several men and Shang couldn't defend all of us. So they took Shang as a prize."

"But that doesn't explain how they knew Mulan was here," Xiaohua replied.

"I…I may have told them," he replied, Mulan and Xiaohua growled.

"So where are they going?" Xiaohua asked.

"To the Mongol tribes for ransom," he replied, "They took Shang because I wouldn't compensate for him. They are just a bunch of thieves so…"

But before he could finish Mulan tried to charge at him. However, five guards kept her back. "You bastard!" she shouted at him, "You have all the riches, yet you would rather trade a human life instead for just a few gold? You sick son of a bitch!" she yelled as they took her out of the room.

Xiaohua however stayed behind. She looked at Lord Chin's daughter in the corner. Xiaohua ran for the teenage girl and carried her out.

"What do you think you're doing with my daughter?" He asked.

"Giving her to the Mongol tribes to marry her off," Xiaohua replied with a smirk. Immediately the girl and Lord Chin screamed in horror, but Xiaohua closed the door before the guards could reach her.

She immediately ran to the stables and grabbed Mulan who was standing at her room door. At the stables and near their horses, they found their bags packed on the horses as the maids were instructed to do. Xiaohua immediately got on her horse with the princess in front and Mulan got on Khan. They quickly ran out of there and disappeared into the forest like fugitives on the run.

"Who is she?" Mulan asked they continue to speed through the forest.

Xiaohua replied with a smirk, "She's Lord Chin's daughter and we're giving her to the Huns or thieves for compensation for Shang."


	16. All's Fair in Love and War

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is super short. Please forgive me. but it will be longer by the time the weekend comes I promise! I have a lot of writing to catch up on! My readers, thank you for your patience! **

**Special Thanks to: all my reviewers! Woo! I reached 60 reviews! I'm so happy! Everytime I get a little, (sn) has subscribed to your story alert/author alert/Favorite Stories or best of all…REVIEWED!I get a little giddy! Lol. All your questions that you have been wondering, including you Rachel, will be answered in this chapter! Thanks to my awesome readers/reviewers!**

**Trackrat - haha character changes! Major character changes! and don't we all love Mulan?**

**Koolbroadwayreader - that's why I love Mulan!**

**Diamondeyes3411 - you're right...just read the chapter below. Mulan wouldn't do that. And well, pretty much what happened was that, Shang was defending all the weak councilmen who wouldn't help against the thieves. But there were WAAY too many so he couldn't do it all and Lord Chin was too greedy to give out any money, so they took Shang and threatened to give him to the Huns. (and I don't know why it's not showing your review on my reviews for my story)**

**Rachel - thank you! I'm glad you think I portray the characters correctly! I always wonder if I do that, every time I write a chapter or story, because it's the biggest upset to me if I don't.**

**Chelle93 - me too! I'm trying to get Xiaohua to be a more likeable character...but maybe I spoke too soon.**

**PatTy - no no you didn't rush me. I want to finish this story as soon as I can!**

* * *

"Xiaohua," Mulan said, slowing Khan down to a lesser pace because they were far enough away, "You cannot seriously do that. That is the man's daughter."

"But he took away your husband," Xiaohua retorted. "Why do you call Shang your husband by the way?"

"That doesn't mean we should go and steal what is his," Mulan shook her head ignoring Xiaohua's other question, "Just because one man did it, does not make it right for me to do it." She untied the rope around the girl's mouth. "What is your name Princess?" Mulan asked gently.

"Su," the girl quietly said, "My name is Su. And I actually would rather be married to man in the Emperor's council or even a Hun as you are suggesting."

Mulan coughed. "Excuse me?" She could not believe her ears. "I don't think you are thinking clearly. Dear, these men are savages and revenge thirsty. They might kill you on the spot for just being Chinese."

"They're not all like that Mulan," Xiaohua scoffed.

"I'm sure they're not," Mulan threw a look at Xiaohua and then turned back to the girl, "Why would you want to do that? Marrying a man who you don't even know?"

"First of all," the girl replied, "I'm not a princess. I was Lord Chin's concubine. That man is abusive towards me. I would rather be married to a common man in China than to him. I cannot go back. Please don't take me back." She begged.

Mulan and Xiaohua both felt sad for this poor girl. But they had no idea how to take her to the Emperor or from their mission for that matter. "I'll take her," someone shouted from behind them.

Aiguo walked towards Mulan. He was holding onto a horse. "I heard the whole story. I'll take her to the Emperor. She'll be properly taken care of then."

Mulan nodded. She reached for the girl's hand and together they walked over to Aiguo. "What are you doing here?" she asked and then ran to give him a hug. "I've missed you so much! You don't know how much help you can offer just by being here!"

"I can't stay for long Mulan," Aiguo told her, leaving her embrace. "For reasons I cannot tell you now, I am not allowed to stay and help you. It is your destiny. For it is told that you will find your true husband sooner than you will expect."

"Excuse me?" Mulan asked in awe. "My true husband?"

"I thought that was her husband," Su whispered to Xiaohua who nodded in agreement. After all, Mulan and Mushu were pretty close.

"I can't tell you Mulan," Aiguo said as he ran away, "but I will warn you, someone is watching you at this very moment."

He then disappeared into the forest. Mulan sighed. Su shrugged it off and Xiaohua growled. "Great, now we have to carry around this princess and find Shang and on top of all that, convince the Huns to be friendly with us." She sighed and hit her head against the horse. "This is not going to go well."

"Speak for yourself Xiaohua," Mulan replied. She pulled Xiaohua down to the ground and off the horse. "You were worse than this girl and you caused nothing but trouble, while this girl has done nothing at all. You kissed Shang, betrayed the Chinese army, and brought along this girl. Now I have to protect you, protect this girl, find out who this person is that is following us someone, find Shang, convince the Huns to not attack us anymore, return home safely, and somehow over all this, marry Shang and live happily ever after." She was panting after she said this. "So don't even talk about hard because you know what? I've got it hard!"

"Wow," was all Su could say, "You do have it hard Heroine of China." She bowed before her, "I am honored to be around you, though I must say that I have no need of protection. You must go along with your mission as if I am not around. And if it is between you and I dying, please do not stop me when I let myself go in order for you to live. China and my own home need you to be alive."

"But…" Mulan tried to protest.

"I am able to protect myself," Su replied. She grabbed a sword and tossed an apple in the air. In that time frame, she was able to cut the apple into several pieces.

"Amazing," Mulan replied, "you are trained in the art of swords! You must teach me how!"

"In due time Fa Mulan, in due time," she smiled, "but you must also teach me a few of your martial arts."

"Deal," Mulan smiled. She then turned to Xiaohua and frowned. "As for you," Mulan sighed, "I'm afraid I must make sure you are little more protected before." She grabbed a couple of shields from her horse and handed it to Xiaohua. Mulan then took off her body armor and put it on Xiaohua. For once in her life, Mulan felt very exposed and unprotected. Though she was able to move easier, she now faced the fate that she would die in battle. Even when she was wearing nothing at all, at least she knew that Shang would be around to protect her and watch over her. But that was a different kind of battle. "My job is to protect you now. My safety is no good to this mission."

"What about your husband Mulan? Since when have you been married to Shang?" Xiaohua asked suspiciously.

"You're married to the General Li? Li Chen's son? The handsome Li Shang?" Su asked with a smirk. "Well now I understand why you want to find him!"

Mulan laughed, "I lied to Lord Chin saying he was my husband because well, being caught with another man in your room who isn't your husband is well dishonorable. But Shang and I were ready. I love Shang more than anything else and I am engaged to be married to him in just a few days, that is if I can find him." She looked down. Mulan then sadly walked towards Khan and got on. "I believe," she softly told them, "it is time we go and face the Huns _again_."

Su got on the horse and Xiaohua did too. She rode in the front with her shield, while Su rode in the back armed with a sword. "So Shang is your true husband then? He has to be," Su told her reassuringly, "After all we will find him soon!"

"That's what you think," a man replied. He had been watching them since the moment they left the palace. He stepped in front the shadows and Mulan glared at him angrily.


	17. Coming Back Doesn't Hurt?

**Author's Note: This chapter is greatly influenced by Here Today by Paul McCartney! Sad, sad song. It was my repeat song as I wrote this chapter. I now love him more than ever after seeing him. Anyways, I apologize for my long absence…school kills. But if you ever get tired of reading this story, go and read my new story, Reasons to Hate You. Thanks to all my faithful readers who still stayed and continued to read in my long absence! I'll be updating next weekend! R&R!**

**Special thanks to those reviewers:**

**Koolbroadwayreader**

**Arielle – thanks for reviewing!**

**PatTy**

**Trackrat**

**Ivyshadow – I'm glad you liked my other story…thanks for reading and reviewing this one too:)**

**Diamondeyes3411**

**Chelle93**

**- you guys are the best:)**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Mulan angrily asked as she seethed through her teeth. "Get out of here before I kill you!"

"Wait, wait," Shan smirked, "Don't you want to hear what I have to say first, my love?" He then winked at her.

"Don't you dare ever do that to me again!" Mulan warned him. And she felt, or actually she had a gut feeling that somehow, what Mushu had said to her was coming true.

"Why not, after all we are to be married, are we not?" He winked at her again.

Mulan immediately jumped off her horse. Su and Xiaohua knew exactly where this was going, so they jumped off too. They immediately grabbed her arms but she pushed them away. Mao, Xiaohua's old lover, also showed up and along with the girls, tried to hold Mulan back. But that was to no avail either. Then all of a sudden three men who looked like the guy Mulan killed back at Lord Chin's palace showed up and helped, Mao, Su, and Xiaohua hold her back. "Come here and fight me like a man!" Mulan taunted him, "You can't even stand up to a girl, so you send four guys to hold me back!"

Shan walked up to her and looked her in the eyes. She was fighting against the three men and kicking them in a sensitive spot. Yet they held the pain and held her back. Mulan spit on Shan's face and he quickly rubbed it off. "This is no way to act for a lady." Shan replied, still wiping the spit off his face.

"Oh so should I act like you then?" Mulan sarcastically asked.

Shan finished wiping his face and glared at Mulan. "Like it or not, you and I belong together. We were made for each other. I have seen the future, and you and I have six kids like you wanted. We live in a nice house near the palace, and I go to work every day early in the morning and come home late at night. This all would have happened, if Shang hadn't cut me from the Army. You and I would have met and fallen in love."

"What have you done with Shang?" Mulan angrily asked. "Tell me where he is!"

Shan shrugged and walked away. Mulan, using the knowledge she knew of every pressure point, kicked those four men, causing them to fall to the ground. She then charged at Shan. But before she could throw a punch, he turned around and got a hold of her right arm. For a while they just stared at each other. Mulan was angry, but still in control, while Shan just stared at her smugly. As Shan leaned in for a kiss, Mulan grabbed the arm he was using to hold her arm, and flipped him over her, tossing him on the ground. Mulan turned him on his back, and grabbed one of the swords. She put it to his neck, causing him to bleed a little.

"Stop please!" Shan cried. "It hurts!" He was wincing and tearing up a bit. Apparently he wasn't as much of a man as Mulan had thought. She smirked at this and wondered how far she could push it. "Please Mulan I'm begging you! I'll do anything!"

"I might just kill you! You are no use to me!" Mulan fake warned.

But neither Su nor Xiaohua could see that. "Mulan, please!" Su pleaded with her. "Please don't hurt him!"

"Yeah listen to her!" Shan begged pathetically, "I honestly don't know where Shang is. But I thought that maybe I could go after you since Shang is gone. All I know is that they're taking him to the border and if you don't hurry, they might trade him to the Huns. Please don't hurt me! Just let me go!"

Mulan scoffed and stood up. She took off the armor he wore and put it on her. It was lighter and a bit smaller for some reason. Mulan then glared at him as he stood up. Shan dusted himself and winced as he touched the small cut Mulan. It was deep but not so big. He groaned. Mulan laughed and walked back to Khan. Xiaohua got on her horse and helped Su get on.

Shan walked over to Mulan's horse. She immediately turned in the opposite direction, avoiding his eyes. Shan sighed. "Listen," he said to her softly, "I love you. I really do. You're the only girl I actually and truly love. I've never felt this way with anyone else before. I don't understand what happened after you fell into my arms and thanked me. Did I do something wrong? Please tell me so I can fix it. I need to know where I went wrong."

Mulan turned back and faced him, "When you made me fall in love with you." She replied nastily.

Shan sighed. "Okay," he answered, "I understand. But you didn't have to answer so harshly. You know you were in love with me too. I want the best for you, but I can't help but think that the best for you is to be with me." He reached for her hand but she moved it away.

"Shan," she replied gently, "Shang loves me and I love him. We are to be married. And that's how it's meant to be." She then ran off.

Su and Xiaohua threw him a sympathetic look and followed after her. And from the corner of her eye, she looked back at Shan and couldn't help but silently cry.


	18. Walk Which Way?

**Author's Note:** Sorry, it's taking me so long. Balancing 3 stories is hard, plus school. GRR. Anyways, R&R! I'll update ASAP! Oh and don't forget to subscribe/read my other story, Reasons to Hate You (another Mulan fan fic)!

**_Special Thanks to My special reviewers!:_**

_**koolbroadwayreader**-augh i'm gonna admit, i'm torn between shan and shang, but I'm always Shang/Mulan!_

_**chelle93**-I'm not sure if you're gonna enjoy this chapter, LOL._

_**Ivyshadow-**thanks for reviewing and for reading my other story and reviewing lol._

_**trakrat-**it was pathetic? I'm not sure what you mean. But thanks for reviewing!_

_**Leila Wong**-I'm touched! I've never gotten that before! Thank you so much! I'm glad you love my stories! Thank you for reviewing also! (btw, you may want to do story subscription. It'll tell you everytime I update and add a chapter)_

_**PatTy**-I'm updating as fast as I can. :) Glad you like it._

_**Rachel**- thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! yes, this is why I love Shan also! Thank you for seeing that! And 10 Things I hate About You is one of my favorite movies!_

_**Arielle**- of course I'm thanking you! I thank all my awesome reviewers! They are what keep me writing! I'm glad you enjoy my stories! thank you!_

**-----**

**She wasn't going to go through this again.** That just wasn't what she needed. Mulan had been down that road before. She didn't like where it led. But then again, she never got to see how far it went down because she knew she loved Shang. But how could Shan be her one true husband? Sure he made her laugh, she had so much fun with him, and Shan always knew how to cheer her up. "NO!" a voice shouted inside her head. "NO! NO! NO!" She was falling for Shan again and that just could not happen.

"_Shang loves me and I love him. That's how it's supposed to be._" She remembered the words she told Shan. "_Mulan and Shang,_" she repeated in her head. "_Mulan and Shang,_" she loved the ring of that. "_Mulan and Shang,_" she smiled as she thought about their future together. It was certainly looking bright. But maybe Shan was her true husband for a reason? She scowled. No, that wasn't going to happen. But then again, if she really loved Shang, why did she have to keep reminding herself?

Su noticed her discomfort. The heroine next to her had red eyes and obviously was crying. "Are you okay Fa Mulan?" she asked gently.

Mulan turned to her. She looked completely out of it. Her hair was a mess, but from riding. Her eyes were red from crying and nose was stuffed. Mulan fake-smiled. "Yeah," she whisper-choked, "I'm fine."

Xiaohua scoffed. "Yeah right. It's so obviously you're in love with Shan. If you don't mind, since you love him, can I have Shang? Or if you want to marry Shang, can I have Shan?" Mulan glared at her. Xiaohua gulped nervously, "Okay, maybe not." She muttered.

"Don't _ever_ joke about that," Mulan angrily told her. "And for your information, I love Shang."

"Really?" Xiaohua asked. "Is that why you're crying? Because you love Shang? Or are you crying because you left Shan?"

Mulan charged her horse towards Xiaohua, but Su intervened. "Stop it! Both of you." She glared at Xiaohua to stop. "Mulan, I'm not going to make this decision for you, but I have to force you to decide now, and truthfully decide. Do you love Shan or Shang? And why? I can't have you crying and messing up this mission."

Xiaohua and Su looked at her curiously, but Mulan looked away. "I don't want to answer why," Mulan replied. If she did, there would be a lot of explaining to do.

"Fine," Su replied, "I'll leave it up to Xiaohua to tell if you truly belong with that person."

"Shang," Mulan replied without even thinking. She loved Shang and some naïve boy was not going to get in the way. "I love Shang."

Su looked to Xiaohua, who just shrugged. Su took that as a yes. "Okay it's settled then. You love Shang. And I'm glad you chose him, because a boy who isn't in your life at this moment didn't stay in it for good reasons. Plus a good boy should or would never make you cry." Su smiled and patted Mulan on the back. She fake-smiled again.

However, speaking about this, didn't light up the situation for Mulan. She still kept thinking about it. Leave it Xiaohua to see the truth and people's feelings. Xiaohua would explain that she was just stating things on how she saw it. So did she see that Mulan was falling for Shan? That just was not going to happen. But if she really loved Shang, why did she have to keep reminding herself?

Mulan looked up to the sky. It was getting dark, the sun was no longer up or on the horizon, and she would not have the girls travel in the dark. "Let's stop here for the night," she told them. "It's safer to travel by day. This seems like a safe enough place to stay." Mulan said, looking around at their surroundings.

Okay, maybe it wasn't the safest place, but it would do for now. The tall trees would block the light coming from their fire. Plus, this place was almost in the middle of the forest. No one would even know they were here unless they were following them, but Mulan would know if they were being followed.

This time, Xiaohua set up her own tent. She wasn't going to share with Shang or another boy, and this time she set up the tent all by herself. Su also set up a tent. Xiaohua had a spare tent for some reason. While the two girls were setting up their tents, Mulan went and gathered wood from nearby trees. She stayed within the vicinity so she could keep an eye on the girls. Within minutes, Mulan returned with enough wood and quickly started a fire.

From within her bag, Mulan gave the girls dried fruit. She couldn't fish since there was no lake nearby and she didn't want to leave the girls out of her sight. They were her mission and she had to protect them. Xiaohua luckily had some food that she stole from Lord Chin's palace before they left. Though they didn't eat well, it was hunger satisfying.

"So," Su started, breaking the silence, "What are you going to do once you find Shang and talk to the Huns?"

"Well if that succeeds," Mulan started.

"It _will succeed_ Fa Mulan," Xiaohua corrected her.

Mulan smiled. "When we are done with that, I will take you to the Emperor Su. And I'll let you do whatever you wish. You can go and marry in a nearby village or you can go back. It doesn't matter to me."

Su smiled. "Thank you Fa Mulan."

Mulan nodded. "Now, I think it's time we go to bed." She turned to Su, "Do you think you can keep watch for half the night? The rest of the night, I'll keep watch. I'm a bit tired."

Su nodded. "Do not worry. I'll keep watch the whole night. You can trust me."

Mulan smiled and went to her tent. Xiaohua also yawned and went to her tent. Though she knew she needed peace, Mulan was unsure if she would be able to sleep.

* * *

"Let me go!" Su screamed at the top of her lungs.

Mulan awoke to the girls screaming. She immediately got up and picked up her sword. From the folds of her tent, she looked out and tried to see the captors of her friends, but the dark night and the horrified girls blocked her view. Mulan knew that the only way to defeat these men was to have an unsuspecting counter attack.

As she stealthily snuck out of her tent, she kept her eyes on the screaming girls and their captors. But as she continued walking, she found that she bumped into another captor. The man laughed viciously and Mulan had to keep from screaming aloud. He knocked her arm, causing the sword to fly out. But in one swift movement, Mulan had him falling to the floor.

She immediately grabbed her sword and ran towards the girls, seeing that a surprise attack would be to no avail. "Let them go!" Mulan warned the men and pointed a sword at them.

The men looked at each other and heartily laughed.

Mulan growled. "I said let them go! You have no power over me! I can easily defeat you two with or without my sword."

One fat man spoke up, "You are in no position to be bargaining Fa Mulan."

"Oh yeah? Try me." Mulan challenged them. She took a step forward, but the men didn't move a step.

The other man answered her, "I wouldn't move a step if you wanted to see your beloved General again."

Mulan gasped and clenched her fist. Her stance had become angrier and more fiercely. "Where is he?" She yelled at them. "I'm going to kill you!"

The two men laughed again as the fires in front of them rose higher and higher. "You wouldn't want to do that."

"You're making me so angry! Give me one reason why not to!" Mulan screamed at them.

The men laughed again. They moved forward a little bit. Mulan flinched a little, causing these men to laugh even harder. From behind them, Mulan could faintly see several men coming into view, their faces being lit by the fire. "You asked for one?" the fat man asked. "How about twenty?"


	19. Dead and or Gone

Author's Note: I'm sorry I have been taking a while. This story is really depressing. I needed a happy/funny story, thus my creation of Reasons to Hate You. But I am finally updating! I hope you readers enjoy this! You guys really make me love writing this! (Sorry this is so short. I was running out of time) R&R!

Special Thanks to:

Newgirl5

BlueEyes

MulanLover

IvyShadow

Arielle

Leila Wong

Chelle93

PaTTy

Trakrat

Rachel

(I'm sorry…I would write each of you guys a little message, but I am writing this very quickly. I will update soon!)

* * *

"Move it girl!" One of the men shouted at Mulan as he pushed her into the meeting. There were two men, who seemed to be the leaders of this meeting, and/or the leaders of the clan of thieves. They both had their arms crossed in an identical manner, while one had a mustache, possibly meaning he had higher power, while the seemingly younger man was his aid. The soldier that pushed Mulan knocked down Xiaohua and Su so that they would bow down to their leaders. It was only Mulan that now stood and she stared fearlessly into the older man's eyes.

"I've heard a great deal about you Fa Mulan," the older man boomed.

Mulan scoffed. Where hadn't she heard that before?

"You better watch it girly," one of the men warned her and then punched her in the stomach.

Mulan groaned and slightly bent her knees in pain. She breathed in and out quickly trying to relieve herself and show no weakness in front of the men. Mulan then quickly stood up.

"I'll have my chances with you." He bent down and looked her in the eyes. Just as he was about to lean in and kiss her, Mulan kicked him in the groin, sending the man to the floor crying in pain.

"Not if I castrate you first," Mulan growled at him.

"That is enough," the older man commanded. He gave a look to one of his thieves. The man then untied the ropes around Mulan's hands, making her free. Free to run away and hide, and free to kill them all. The older leader looked at Mulan. "What is your business here lady?"

"Is it not obvious enough?" Mulan asked. She wondered what the men had done with Shang. "Where is General Li?" Mulan angrily asked.

The two leaders looked at each other with questions in their eyes. For some reason Mulan had the feeling that Shang was not here. But at the same time, she had a feeling that they were lying to her and thinking of a way to keep the Heroine from losing control and killing them both. The younger one then turned and faced Mulan. "Fa Mulan, the Hun leaders are also here. They wish to speak to you."

From the shadows of the forest, one large man with five men of same stature emerged. It was just a few months ago that Mulan had seen the Huns, and now she stood with them, at night in the shadows of the forest with no one that she could trust. How she wished she could have Mushu, Mei, Ling, Yao, Chien-Po, or just Shang by her side.

"Fa Mulan," the leader spoke, "I want to just tell you, we have been kilometers away from your beloved country. We only came in to sneak in and talk to you. But other than that, we have stayed away. We do not wish to fight you."

Mulan scoffed. "How can I believe that?"

"Trust me," the man boomed, "We do not wish to fight you at all. But we will not take your peace."

"That sounds more like the Huns," Mulan retorted, "And why not oh great and ugly Hun leader?"

"Because we are afraid of you," the Hun leader explained.

One of the thieves snorted and laughed. All of the six Huns shot him a look. The man immediately stopped laughing. He then strayed in the shadows and from what Mulan could see, he ran as far as he could.

"After the several defeats, we do not wish to lose more men. We also do not have any able bodied men prepared to fight." The Hun explained.

"I'd rather die than see you take the Emperor's place," Mulan shouted at him.

"Exactly," the Hun explained. "We have sources. We will know when you die of old age. Your son will pay for the damage you have caused us. He will know the pain and sadness all of the Huns have felt when you killed our brothers and fathers. We will not invade until you have breathed your last breath." He smiled. "And my uncle's wife is carrying a son that we know will bring us into battle to cause China's defeat."

Mulan growled. "I don't think so. Just watch. Besides, I have no son."

"We all know that you are carrying General Li's son," The Hun laughed.

Mulan was about to charge at him, but if it wasn't for several of the thieves to hold her back, she would have hurt him. "Where is Shang?" She yelled at him.

All of the Huns laughed and walked away. They soon disappeared in the shadows of the forest, going back to their tribes. From the light of the fire burning, they could see the tears streaming down Mulan's face. Finally, the thieves dropped her and Mulan fell to her knees sobbing.

"Get up Fa Mulan," Xiaohua snapped at her. "You're never going to find Shang by crying."

Mulan heard footsteps coming closer to her. She quickly dried her tears and stood up to face the men. As the men neared her, they had looks of sympathy on their faces much to Mulan's shock. Yet she glared at him angrily, never forgetting what they did to her.

"Fa Mulan," the younger thief leader told her, "I'm afraid your husband Li Shang is not with us."

Mulan slowly felt her whole world crashing down on her.


	20. You Found Me

**Author's Note: **I must apologize. I kept my readers waiting WAAYY too long on this, so I lost some readers:( I should have done my other story after this. So I apologize for spending more time on that story than this. R&R! But I promise you I won't keep you waiting any longer.

**Special Thanks:** But I must show my thanks to my readers who have stayed with me this whole time! Thank you so much!

_chelle93 _- I'll admit, it is quite sad. But it's the life of an army soldier :(

_newgirl5 -_ haha again I'm sorry for the slow updates.

_Rachel _- _Thank_ you! I love that you check everyday! It's readers like you that make love to write:) Maybe you should sign up for an account so you can just get email updates :)

_Ivy - :) I apologize._ But thank you for reading my stories! I'm sorry it took me so long.

_Tishica_ -I love Shang too. And maybe Mulan does too.

_Leila Wong _- haha maybe you should run through the chapters again and maybe even the last story. It's pretty obvious when Mulan gets pregnant. And if Mulan has a son with Shang, he'll certainly be beautiful:) And I'm sorry for the late updating!

_Trakrat - haha you've been like my most devoted reader. _I really appreciate that! I think you'd really like this chapter too.

* * *

It wasn't the same. Nothing was the same. And as Mulan lay out on the grass with the pouring rain falling down her face, she knew that it was true. It was inevitable. She no longer cared about anything. And she knew that it wasn't just rain falling down her face, they were tears. Tears for her shame: the Huns believed she was pregnant; Mulan was not sure at all if she was pregnant, but if she was then she would be with child and with shame. Having a baby, but with no husband would surely be the death of her family honor. She had tears of fear: there was nothing she could now do to prevent the Huns from attacking her home and killing her family. And lastly, tears of sadness and mourning: Mulan lost the only thing she probably ever cared enough about. Shang was one of the only men who actually accepted her as a woman but with the same respect as a man. Now with the possibility of being pregnant with the General's son, no one in their right mind would marry a "tainted" woman.

And as the rain continued to pour harder and harder, Mulan sat down by the pond staring at herself. She no longer wanted to sit under the cherry blossom tree or near the magnolia tree that was a sign of their blooming love. It honestly hurt too much to look at it, so instead she looked at herself. Just a few months ago, Mulan could have stared at her reflection and smiled. Because then, everything was perfect. Before Mulan looked at herself as a sign of weakness, but now she looked to herself to be strong. And right now, in this sad moment, she had to.

Mulan luckily had her moment of peace and serenity. Since it was raining outside, it kept everyone else inside. The two prissy girls, who allowed Mulan to stay the extra day at home before joining the Emperor, would never want to mess up their make-up with this rain. Her father and grandmother knew her oh so well, so they knew when to leave her alone. And Mulan's mother understood perfectly well that even if she did go out there, Mulan would just run away and want to be left alone. So even her mother knew it was to no avail. But even though Mulan was left alone, she could feel as if the eyes of the world were upon her, wondering exactly what she was going to do.

"_Shang,_" Mulan whispered as if she was crying out, "_Where are you? Why have you left me?_" She sobbed and her shoulders sagged deeply. It was like her father said, "_you never know what you have, until you lose it_." But she could not help but wonder, if Shang escaped the thieves, where was he? And if he was still alive, why did he leave her? Why didn't he come back and save her? But more importantly, why was he not here with her?

There was nothing more she could say, nothing more she could do. She would marry before any one could discover that she was pregnant, but it certainly would not be for love. She would definitely cherish her special child, but she was not sure if she would be able to live the rest of her life unhappily. Maybe she would grow to love him. But there was no one else to love but Shang, no one but…

"_Shan?_" she breathed heavily and released it so quickly. When was the last time she had said that name? Last time she did, she was crying, but for what reason? Was it true? Was Shan her true husband? Even if he was, she knew that she would not be as happy. And as she knew her inevitable fate, Mulan found it hard to breathe, with her chest feeling like collapsing.

"Now why in the world are you so sad?" a familiar voice asked.

Mulan gasped and looked around for a moment. That rich deep voice was so familiar to her. A figure stood in the branches of a tree, hiding his face from her. For a moment Mulan smiled, thinking she knew exactly who it was. But when the figure did not move from the branches, she frowned.

"Is there a reason you're staying in the rain? You could get sick you know?" he said again.

Mulan smiled. "Come out here so I can see you."

"Do you not know who I am?" he asked again. And for some reason Mulan felt his smile as he said that statement.

Mulan laughed. She walked closer to the tree. Every step she took, every breath she breathed, seemed so heavy, so long. But the closer and closer she got, she hoped she found what she was looking for. Mulan hoped and prayed it would not be Shan. And as she neared the tree, she decided to stop. Mulan took a defensive stance, just in case. Warriors always were ready just in case.

He laughed. "There's no reason to get defensive around me. I would never hurt you." The figure in the branches moved a little. His foot protruded from the leaves and showed a foot, not with any boots, but just regular shoes. When Mulan saw this, she stiffened a bit and showed her disappointment on her face. "What? Did I disappoint you?"

Mulan faked smiled and shook her head. "No, it's just…" she paused for a moment, trying to hold back her tears. "I just thought you were someone else." She changed back to her expressionless face, which soon turned in a whimper. Mulan immediately turned away and walked back to the pond.

From behind her Mulan could hear the person jump down and onto the bench. She wanted to scream, "_Why can't you just leave me alone?_" But she didn't want to. Right now all she wanted to do was run away.

"Why do you keep running away from me Mulan?" he asked. "Why can't you look me in the face right now?" He moved closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What is it that you don't want to see?" He turned her around to face her. "Is it me?"

Mulan gasped. She honestly thought it was Shan. Mulan looked at Shang as he looked deep into her eyes, wondering what went wrong. "Shang," she said breathlessly and gently caressed his face with her hands. And as she smoothed out his cheeks, Shang's worry turned into a grimace.

"Is it me that you love or Shan?" Shang asked. "You were disappointed to see my leg, how much more were you disappointed to see my face? I don't understand where I went wrong with you. I love you Mulan, but if it's me that you don't love, I'll understand. I love you enough to let you go. I'll definitely fight for you, but if you don't love me, then there's nothing I can do about it." He took her hands from his face and held them in his own.

Mulan smiled. "Shang, I didn't think it was you. In fact, I started crying because I didn't think it was you."

"What made you so unsure?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy," Mulan grinned, "but it was the shoes that threw me off. I always thought you wore boots. Since when did you wear those shoes?"

"I had to," Shang replied. "Those stupid thieves took away my boots and gave me their stupid shoes instead." Shang sighed. "You don't know how painful it was to walk in these shoes and not in boots."

Mulan laughed. "Welcome to my world. I have to wear those all the time." They both sighed and looked each other in the eyes. It was an awkward moment at first, but they were just both glad to be in each other's company. Mulan couldn't help it. All she really wanted to do was stare into his eyes, because for so long, she hadn't been able to do so. "Why did you leave me?" Mulan asked after a while.

Shang groaned. He had wanted to kiss her, but she ruined the moment. "I never left you. In fact, those thieves carried me along to follow you and watch you the whole time. It wasn't until Shan caught up with you, that I decided to leave."

"You saw that?" Mulan asked in horror.

Shang nodded. There was still a moment of awkward silence. Mulan did not know exactly what to say and Shang wondered what to respond to that. But he had to ask, "Would you rather marry me and Shan?"

Mulan smiled. She pulled him in by the collar and kissed him gently on the lips, while the rain continued to pour. But the kiss got deeper and deeper as Mulan was lifted by Shang. She put her legs around him, while his arms held her up by the waist. When they finally broke apart Mulan breathlessly whispered in his ear, "Shang you were always my first choice. And if there is anyone I wish to marry, it's you." She briefly kissed him one last time, "And if there's anyone who makes my dreams come true, it's you."


	21. It All Comes Down to Just You and Me

**Author's Note: **Well this is the final chapter. (And it is my longest one at that! Honestly I thought it would be a lot shorter, but i just found myself wanting to say more and more and not knowing how to end it.) And I must say, it really makes me VERY SAD. Just to let you know, it is a banter between Mulan and Shang and from their own points of view of this day. But I want to thank every single one of my readers. I am breaking ALL TYPES OF MY PERSONAL RECORDS! I finally reached over 100 reviews in one story alone! WOOH! I check traffic and I have over a thousand readers JUST in the month of September alone! I can imagine what it is like NOW! It's amazing! People from all over the world are reading my stories! I really appreciate it you guys! Thanks for being there for me! I loved writing for all of my readers! You guys are the best! Please review (even if you don't have an account you can comment) so I know what you guys think of my story! I really like reading all of your comments. And even though this is the end of this story, I have good news for all of my readers!

I have three stories in tow! As you know, Reasons to Hate You is the first story of course, From a General's Perspective (which is my favorite so far) and but soon after this story I have started to write a brand new story! And after that story, I'm afraid it may be my last (DEPENDING ON COLLEGE) Yes that's right. I am part of the undecided and I feel that I should be making my decision SOON. This other new story is called Don't Forget. Once you read it, you'll understand why it is called that. I hope you readers follow me to the next stories. After Don't Forget though, I think I am going to do a series of one-shots (that I am also really excited for! And hope you guys enjoy it just as much as I do!) that will be based on songs. (haha just keep me on Author Alert) But I promise I won't be stop writing, I will keep writing. Because I know my devoted fans won't stop me from writing! :)

I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for your patience in reading this story and waiting for me to update!

* * *

"Ouch!" Mulan winced as they pulled her dress tighter. "It doesn't have to beat this tight to where I'm going to faint the moment I step onto the aisle." She pulled the bow a bit to loosen up the dress when her mother was not looking. As the women squeezed the dress tighter, she recalled her days of the Matchmaker and thanked the ancestors and the gods she would never have to go through that ordeal ever again.

"Mulan," her mother reprimanded her. "Shang is going to be in awe when he sees you. So you must put on the best face, even if it means squishing your stomach to make you skinnier." Mulan looked at her stomach and pouted. Did it look like she was pregnant? Was she gaining weight?

"The Matchmaker said I was too skinny to bear sons," Mulan muttered low enough to where her mother would not hear.

Her mother immediately turned around in shock. "What did you say?" She was holding the paint in her hands, which to Mulan were deadly weapons. And she knew that you never anger a person holding a weapon.

"Nothing mother," Mulan sighed. "I just know that Shang would not want me to look or be something I'm not. I know he'll love me either way."

But she could no longer argue the moment her mother started painting her face.

…

Snickering. From the door, Shang heard snickering. He immediately turned to angrily glare at his younger and older brother who stood at the door scrutinizing his appearance. Shang rolled his eyes and then turned back to the mirror to look at his appearance and fix his clothes once last time.

"So you're going to ignore us?" His older brother Cheng asked. He then laughed and walked out of the room. Shang, who never liked his older brother, rolled his eyes. Honestly, he could not have been more relieved. His younger brother, on the other hand, moved up closer to the mirror.

Mao smiled and looked at his older brother, whom he always looked at in high esteem. Mao smiled as he noticed that his older brother's breaths soon became shorter and quicker. "Are you nervous?"

Shang smiled and looked at his younger brother through the mirror. "No, what makes you think that?" he laughed.

Mao laughed, "The fact that you breaths are getting shorter, you're tightening all your clothes, your face is getting close to red with a slight blush, your feet move uncontrollably, and when you try to not lie, you look away. Don't you think I know you better than that Shang?"

Shang laughed.

"Besides, I heard Mulan was pregnant."

Shang froze. Mulan had told him what the Huns had said to her. She told him she was not sure if it was true or not. Mulan certainly did not look pregnant and she was not showing any symptoms. But even if Mulan was pregnant, it would just add more joy to their marriage. Shang cleared his throat to avoid showing his worry. "What makes you think that baby brother?" Shang nervously chuckled.

Mao laughed. "I just thought that you two might have already done it, and not just once, but several times. After all, you two are alone quite a lot. I've seen the way you look at her every time you come into the room. I see how you're only happy when you're with her." He patted Shang on the back. "I can't believe I'm saying this, because it should be the other way around and I'm the one who needs it more, but I wish you the best, brother." He smiled, "Even though you should be wishing me luck." Mao laughed as he walked out of the room.

And soon not after, the Gang of three walked in and stood at the door. They looked at Shang and held their little handkerchiefs like women, tearing up when they saw him.

Shang laughed. "I thought I taught you guys to be men."

They smiled and laughed. Ling said to Shang, "It's your wedding. As soon as Mulan walks down the aisle, I'll be the first to bet you will be crying."

…

The carriage stopped right outside the Fa house, which Mulan spotted from her bedroom window. "Ah look!" she said excitedly, "the carriage is here! Now I can't have Shang waiting and it is very impolite to be rude and…" she immediately got up to avoid the rest of the make-up, but her mother and the other women pulled her down into the chair. Mulan sighed and looked at the carriage for a fleeting moment, before her mother roughly turned her head to face her, smudging some of the white paint.

"Ai-ya!" her mother sighed in frustration, "Look what you've made me do! Now guessing on the fact that you got up quickly to rush to the carriage because you are in rush, I just want to let you know that you are not going to the carriage anytime soon." Mulan slumped in her chair. Even though the paint was placed to prevent the woman from showing little emotion, it was evident that Mulan was not happy. "Now just sit still," her mother said to her, "so we don't have to do this again."

…

"Where is she father?" Shang asked as he paced to and fro by the temple steps, waiting for his bride. The guests were just arriving, each picking a chair near someone they knew and avoiding people they did not like. Shang chuckled a bit in his head when he saw this. Only Mulan and he could bring two different worlds together into one. Shang sighed again as he thought about his bride. "What could be taking her so long? She was supposed to arrive a long time ago." He sighed and placed his hand on his forehead. It was very warm. Warmer than usual. Shang concluded that it was all the wedding fever in the air.

Shang's father and Mulan's father shared a look and then chuckled. Shang stopped walking and glared at them. He then sighed and continued to walk anxiously for a while, before sitting down and tapping his foot impatiently. Shang looked out into the road looking for a sign of his bride or her carriage. Shang's father placed a reassuring hand upon his son's shoulder. "Don't worry son. She'll come very soon. After all, a woman takes a very long time to get ready." Shang's father and Mulan's chuckled, as if they were sharing on this inside joke.

Shang scoffed. "Not Mulan. She rarely takes anytime to get ready." He leaned back against the temple walls and smiled as he thought to himself, _Not that it matters anyway how she looks._

Shang's father saw the smitten look in his son's eyes and chuckled. "Oh it's certain," he said, interrupting Shang's thoughts. He immediately looked up at his father with a questioning look. He laughed. "Shang, you're madly and drowning in love. I've never seen you act like this before." Shang smiled and his father assured him, "She will come soon. Because I bet you feel that she can't wait to marry you either, and is probably rushing at this very moment to get here."

…

Mulan sighed. "Are we finished now?"

The ladies and her mother shared a look. They turned the mirror to Mulan, who gazed upon her reflection. Mulan bit her lip to hold back several emotions: fear, happiness, excitement, slight disgust, but overall, love. She felt it beaming past the make-up and twinkling in her eyes. Mulan hated the make-up on her face, but if it was necessary to get married, then she just let it be. She gazed more intently on the reflection in front of her. Her pale face, her shadowy eyes, her red lips, her slight blush on her cheeks, her pinned up perfect hair: all the things a bride wears, and with another red veil to guard her face, as if it wasn't already hidden past the excess make-up. She wondered why this was so much trouble sometimes and wished that marriage would someday be more than the dowry and the unification of two countries or families, and would one day lean more towards love and friendship. A girl could dream, couldn't she? Well Mulan pinched herself wondering if she was in one. She smiled back at the reflection in front of her, trying not to cry. She finally saw past her make-up and at the girl inside her, not her reflection. And she finally saw someone who brought her family honor, someone who brought China honor, someone who made her happy, someone she had been hiding inside for so long, _someone worth while_.

Her mother looked at her daughter and saw the many emotions in her daughter's eyes. To lighten up the mood, she said to her, "Now don't go crying on me darling! We just spent a long time on your make-up! I know you don't want to take anymore time from getting to your ceremony!"

Mulan laughed and hugged her mother tightly. The other women backed up out of the room to give the two women a heartfelt mother-daughter moment. "Thank you so much mama," Mulan whispered in her mother's ears, "I will certainly miss you, and all the crazy things you made me do to be what I am today."

Her mother stroked her back, "Mulan, do not ever think that you ever disgraced me in anyway. I love you for who you are always."

Mulan giggled, "Even though I didn't pass the Matchmaker's test and managed to set her on fire, turned out more like a son than a daughter, and went to the army almost disgracing our family name, would still love me?"

Her mother smirked and replied, "I would have never wanted you to turn out any differently."

…

Shang sighed and bit his lip from screaming out in frustration. He was about to ask his father where his bride was again, but was stopped by his father, and father-in-law's laughter. He glared at them and then turned around to find Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po by his side. He opened his mouth to talk, but was quickly stopped by Ling.

"Look Shang," Ling answered him, "we don't know where your bride is."

There was even more laughter heard from the two fathers behind him. Shang sighed. "I just want to get this ceremony started already. I want to be married to her already. I want her to be mine."

This time all of the men standing there laughed and assured him, "She's already yours Shang! There can't be any other man she would want." And as those words sunk into his head, one name kept tugging at his heart and bothering him.

…

And as Mulan got into her carriage, she sighed and tried to forget the words her mother had told her earlier about her wedding night. The words, "unsuspecting pain", "pleasure", "a man's happiness", and "a night to remember" were things Mulan did not want to remember, but were ringing in her head like a loud gong. She did not need her mother's advice. She already had her first night with Shang and it certainly was a night to remember and all the things that she had described to her. But to have someone else tell her what love felt like, especially her own mother, well it was awkward and uncomfortable. Everyone fell in love in their own different way, but it was not something Mulan had to learn. She already found it.

She waved goodbye to her mother even though she knew she would be seeing her in just a few minutes, but waving good bye was a symbol that she no longer belonged to her but now to her new husband, and that she no longer lived at home. In this way, she said good bye to her old life. And as she peacefully sat in the carriage and relaxed, she reminisced on her old life, but looked towards her new one with each moving moment and smiled.

…

From the windows of her carriage, Mulan looked upon the crowd and suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She placed the veil in front of her face again. There were men there at the carriage offering their hands, but Mulan politely declined and stepped down from the carriage by herself. She stumbled a bit as she walked, mostly because she was nervous and also because she was still not used to wearing these shoes. She sighed and stopped to pause at the end of the walkway to the temple. Mulan smiled at the people in the crowd, which consisted of Xiaohua, and Su, who were happily grinning at her, and her mother and her father. She also saw Shang's family, Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling, but her eyes led up to the person waiting at the end of the walkway to the temple. Their eyes met and their gaze never left each other. She smiled as she looked at Shang, who now smiled back at her with a look that surely made her weak to the knees. Yet as she walked and felt a million faces on her, she found the courage to keep on going.

The look in Shang's eyes was something she'd never forget for as long as she lived. She learned something. If there was truly love in a marriage, the one person to look at was the groom. As everyone watched the bride walk down to the temple, Mulan realized that all the love could be summed up in the look the groom wore upon his face.

…

Shang looked out blankly upon the crowd, completely terrified. Now he was lonely, even with hundreds of people there beside him, to guide him on this path to marriage, people whom he had known for so long, and people whom he had just met yet felt as if he had known them for so long. Now he was nervous, but it didn't stop him from wanting to marry Mulan, because god knows how long he had been waiting for her to come along. And as her carriage pulled up and she gracefully stepped out of the carriage, without the help of the people there to lend a hand, Shang smiled. He sighed and smiled as he watched Mulan walk over to him. She was a beautiful goddess, covered in red, with her face painted like a porcelain doll. And during this whole while, he could not keep his eyes off of her.

From behind the veil, as Mulan stood in front of him, she giggled softly and asked Shang, completely interrupting his reverie, "Shang, are you ready?"

…

As the ceremony ended, Shang and Mulan walked out of the temple and towards the house. There they greeted some of the guests, while others left in a rush to the banquet. The parents then took the guests away to leave Shang and Mulan alone for the first time. Shang, who already had Mulan in his arms, turned to her. They both smiled at each other.

Shang sighed. "Mulan you have no idea how much I want to just take off that veil and kiss you passionately in front of everyone here."

Mulan laughed. "There is nothing stopping you from doing it." She smiled and pulled him in closer by the collar. He moved the veil and just before their lips met, Mulan's friends pulled her away.

Shang looked at them in anger and shock. "What?"

Her friends laughed and kidnapped Mulan much to her dismay. Su smiled and told Shang, "If you want to see your bride again, then you know what to do."

Shang sighed and left to go get his horse. As tradition, the groom had to travel to the bride's house to try and regain her back with gifts.

…

Mulan laughed as she entered the carriage to her house. "You guys are crazy. But could you guys have, I don't know, maybe waited until after I got my kiss from Shang?" She pouted at all her friends. Her friends from her childhood and Su and Xiaohua were all there in the carriage bringing her back to her house as tradition.

They all laughed. Su replied, "You know Mulan, since Shang didn't get his kiss, I have a feeling he will be paying a higher price for you now. He must really want his kiss now." Everyone, including Mulan, laughed.

"Though I have a feeling," Xiaohua continued, "that's not all that Shang wants now."

The other girls giggled teasingly and Mulan smirked.

…

Shang chuckled to himself as he knocked on Mulan's door. From inside, he could hear all the screaming and running around to hide Mulan in the best possible way. He swore he even heard Xiaohua ask loudly why he had come so early.

One of Mulan's childhood friends opened the door and greeted Shang. He bowed to her and walked into the house. All the bridesmaids stared at Shang and laughed. He sighed. "Where in the world have you put my wife?"

They all shrugged. "You have to find her first," they teased him.

Shang smirked and walked right outside to the garden and immediately found his bride. She was sitting underneath the cherry blossom tree, and admiring the beautiful magnolia tree. He grinned and walked right to her. Mulan laughed when she saw him walking to her. "That didn't take you very long Shang."

"I'm guessing they asked you to hide yourself, because this is the most obvious place to hide." Shang laughed.

Su and Xiaohua and Mulan's other childhood friends immediately ran in front of Mulan before Shang could get to her. Su argued, "Just because you found her, does not mean we'll be giving her away that easily." The girls stood defiantly in front of Mulan.

Shang laughed. "Girls you know that I could easily just push you aside and get to Mulan, right?"

Su laughed. "Yes, but we also know that Mulan could easily push us aside and get to you if she wanted. Are we correct?"

Shang grinned and nodded.

"Well then," Su continued, "this goes to show that she does not want to go to you."

Shang shrugged. "Fine," he answered, "Looks like I'm leaving without a bride then." He walked away to see if Mulan would follow. But she did not follow. He walked back and the girls giggled and taunted him. Shang sighed. "I came back because I realized just how much I missed you and need you."

The girls sighed dreamily and smiled at Shang. Mulan scoffed. "You girls fell for that? Some bridesmaids you girls are! You'd give me away at one line like that! Quite frankly, I'm ashamed."

Shang laughed. "Mulan you'd know I'd do anything just to have one kiss from you." He smiled at each of the bridesmaids, "even if it meant kissing your friends."

One of Mulan's friends immediately stepped forward and smiled, "Okay, I'm up for it!" Mulan glared at her and pulled her back into line, silently warning her to stay away from Shang.

Shang saw this and laughed. He reached into his bag and took out six bags of coins for each of the bridesmaids and a special bracelet for Mulan. He then bowed and said to Mulan, "Anything of mine belongs to you and is of your disposal, including my heart." The bridesmaids giggled dreamily and allowed Mulan to go to him. She took him in with open arms and he picked her up. "Mulan," he said to her, while he looked her in the eyes, "I believe I am going to live with you at your house. You won't ever have to say goodbye to your family. My brother has taken my father's house, so I believe the most sensible idea is to live with your family."

Mulan smiled. "Are you sure you want to live with my snooping grandmother and my crazy parents?"

Shang nodded. "Just as long as I'm with you, I think I'll be fine. Besides, I absolutely love your parents. Your grandmother makes me laugh all the time. Your little dog is the most adorable thing…"

Mulan put a finger to his mouth, quickly silencing him. They both laughed. "Sometimes Shang," she said leaning in closer to him, "you talk way too much." She leaned in for a kiss, but was quickly interrupted by her mother.

"MULAN!" her mother called. The couple then broke apart and stared at her mother. Shang fake-smiled, silently wishing he hadn't been interrupted by her mother, while Mulan silently cursed her mother for her disruption of a perfect moment.

Shang sighed and looked up to the gods, as if he was pleading. "Can I just get my kiss already?"

Mulan looked at him and laughed. "You will soon. I promise."

They walked hand-in-hand to the house to leave for the banquet.

…

As soon as the couple arrived at the banquet, they were greeted by several people, who threw flowers as the couple came in. Mulan held Shang's hand and laughed as they walked in to several piles of flowers. Shang turned and smiled as he looked as his wife, whom he believed without a doubt, looked absolutely beautiful in her dress and several flowers in her hair just like a goddess. Mulan caught Shang staring at her and smiled. She squeezed his hand and gave him a look, which only he completely understood, and only knew what she was saying. Shang couldn't describe the look, he couldn't describe how it felt, and he couldn't say anything about it, but he would remember it and cherish it. It was then that he realized that this is how love is.

Together they greeted all their guests, and Mulan and Shang met people from both sides of their family, whom they had never met before. Mulan and Shang saw the similarities in each of the family members in comparison to the descendent.

As Mulan and Shang finally sat down at the table, they were served dinner. Though they did not want to be cliché, Mulan found herself feeding Shang some of her food and Shang often fed Mulan some of his food. They had different dishes and they both wanted to try the other, so they thought why not share? However, people from sitting at another table might have had a different idea of the event occurring in front of them.

"Shang," Mulan said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and stood up, "I'll be right back. I need a bit of fresh air."

Shang nodded and continued to eat and talk to the people who came to his table. Mulan smiled and walked out into the gardens of the place. She saw a couple of beautiful flower bushes, and her favorite flowers all gathered by the pond. But it was not until she came to a small area with several cherry blossom trees, that she decided to stop and breathe it all in.

"Well what are you doing alone?" A voice asked. "I thought you had just gotten married. I didn't think you would be alone on your wedding!"

Mulan immediately turned around and found herself looking at Shan. She sighed and tried to keep herself composed. "Well I could ask you about the same, what are you doing here at my wedding? I didn't think you were invited."

Shan smirked. "I wasn't. And honestly I was quite hurt by that."

Mulan rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Why would I invite you? We were only acquaintances and comrades. We were nothing more."

"And what if Shang had said that to you also?" Shan laughed, but Mulan glared at him.

"What do you want Shan?" she angrily asked.

He sighed. "I just came by to say congratulations and give you my present." He smiled and gave her a gift. "Please don't open it here. Or at least wait until I leave before you open it. I never liked it when people opened gifts in front of me. It made me embarrassed at times."

Mulan smiled. "You're not the only one. I get that way too. I'll honor your request." She tucked the gift in her dress.

Shan sighed. "You smiled. That's honestly the first time I've seen that in a while. But I'll take it."

Mulan patted his shoulder and turned to leave. But Shan put out his hand to stop her. "Wait, Mulan. I have just a big question that has been on my mind this whole time. Why not me? Why did you pick Shang over me? Is there something about him that I can't do? I may not be a big huge General, but I can be a good soldier. I'd honestly do anything for you, I hope you know that."

Mulan sighed and looked away, thinking about how to respond to it.

"Will you at least answer me Mulan? Because I lost for the first time, my true love, and I have to know if you at least care a bit about me," Shan pleaded her to answer.

"Shan," she sighed. "I love Shang. You cannot seriously ask me to forget two years and so many memories that went on between Shang and I. I cannot even fathom how wonderful my life will be with Shang. And you, I've only known you for just a few weeks. But I can honestly say that if I had known both you and Shang at the same time, my decision would have been even harder. I barely got to know you Shan. I'm sure you're a wonderful guy though, and any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Except the girl I want," Shan replied bitterly.

Mulan gave a sympathetic look and shrugged. "I'm sorry. I barely know you Shan. But I can assure you that I will be a good friend."

Shan sighed. "But isn't that what marriage is like though? To get to know someone better?"

"For you, yes that may be the case. But I don't think marriage is like that at all. I think it's deeper than that. Marriage is finally uniting the strong love or bond between a man and a woman. Sure you'll get to know someone even better, but it's not only about that. It's also about knowing someone so well. In marriage you need trust, passion, cooperation, balance and more importantly, love. Those are all the things I feel that Shang and I share, and also agree upon."

Shan sighed. "Well if I were Shang, I'd agree with every word you'd say just to have you as mine."

Mulan smiled and shook her head. "But that's the thing. I know Shang. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just agree with me just to be mine, because I love him for more than beliefs, and he knows that. I didn't fall in love with one part of Shang. I fell in love with all of him."

Shan nodded. "Well I guess I can't change your mind. But I hope you know Mulan, I will always be there waiting for you, no matter how long it takes." He looked at her with somber eyes. "Can I at least have one kiss from you, just to see how it feels? Please? Just to see if you feel sparks?"

Mulan sighed. "Shan you know that I now can't be caught kissing another man, especially on the day of my wedding! Of all the nerve! I'm sorry. And honestly, I think I would be more focused on if someone was watching instead of on the kiss." She looked down, "Please Shan, just leave before you make anything worse."

For a moment, Shan lifted up her face and looked at her fearlessly in the eyes. Mulan froze, completely taken back by his forwardness. And in one quick movement, his lips met hers, but just like that, they were apart. He smiled and left.

Mulan stayed frozen. Her hands slowly made their way up to her lips. She was in shock by his kiss, but a bit more shocked in how good it felt. Mulan shook her head and tried to clear the image from her head. It failed. She silently cursed him, but quickly turned to her left as she heard approaching footsteps.

"Mulan?" Shang asked as he walked closer to her. "Are you okay? You know the guests are looking for you."

She smirked. "Why can't you just say that you missed me?"

He laughed. "Because I figured that, that was too obvious. I guess from now on I should just say how I feel straightforward."

"You're finally learning," Mulan laughed. "But maybe some things are best kept inside."

"Like how much I love you?" Shang asked, moving closer to Mulan. She smiled and shook her head no. "How about how much I think about you?" He now held her in his arms, and she shook her head no, grinning this time. "How about how much I want to kiss you right now and take you home already? Or what I want to do in the privacy of our own bedroom?" Mulan gasped but laughed and shook her head no.

She placed her hands around him and laid her head on his chest. "Speaking of things we want to say," She wondered how Shang would react, "Shan visited me just a few minutes ago, and," she silently prayed hoping Shang would not get angry, "he kissed me unexpectedly to see if there were any sparks." Mulan winced wondering exactly how angry Shang would get.

"And how did you feel?" Shang asked, and started to stroke her back.

Mulan sighed. "Honestly, I was a bit taken aback by his kiss, but I felt nothing. Or at least, not even close to enough to make me want to leave you."

Shang smiled, and Mulan honestly felt his relief even though she wasn't looking straight at his face. She finally lifted her face from his chest and looked at him in the eyes. "I hate that veil," Shang whispered.

Mulan laughed. "Actually, so do I. But I think I'm going take it off for a while or at least until we get back into the banquet."

Shang slid his arms closer around her, bringing her in closer. "Well I like what I see. I can finally see your face better."

Just as she was about to lean in closer to kiss him, she heard the scuffling of footsteps on the floor. Mulan and Shang looked in the direction of the culprit and found two stumbling men carrying a huge bucket of water. They looked as if they were going to fall any moment.

"Do you need any help sirs?" Mulan asked.

"I wouldn't mind lending a hand," Shang agreed.

The two men shook their heads no. "It wouldn't be right to ask for the couple's help on for their own wedding," the chubbier man stated.

"Honestly, it wouldn't be much of a hassle," Mulan argued. "You two men look like you are struggling."

The chubbier man, who was walking backwards, accidentally stumbled against an uneven tile, causing some of the water to spill upon Mulan's face. The men gasped in horror and immediately got towels for Mulan's face. Mulan, on the other hand, stood frozen, with her mouth agape, still looking in shock. Shang, however, stood nearby, smiling. The two men quickly came back with towels for her face, and walked out of there as soon as they could. Shang stayed as he waited for his bride to dry her face.

When she had all of it completely wiped off, Mulan sighed and threw down the towels. "Shang how do I look?" she asked, still wiping off some stuff off.

Shang smirked. "Perfect."

Mulan rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You know, when you talk like that, I honestly don't know whether or not to believe you." She walked over to the pond and wiped off the remaining traces of make-up. Mulan then walked back over to Shang.

"What?" she asked. He was staring at her weirdly.

Shang walked over to her and placed his arms around her, "You know I honestly like you better this way."

Mulan smiled. "Good. Because I am honestly never wearing that make-up again. I…" She was cut off by Shang's kiss. As he kissed her, she smiled a bit and moved her arms around his neck. Shang also smiled as she did this. They both laughed with their foreheads pressed against each other. Mulan brought him in again for a more passionate kiss.

"Mulan," Shang said breathlessly, once they broke apart, "You talk too much." They both laughed and walked towards the banquet door. "You know Shang," she laughed a bit, "I've met a million men, but I can honestly say, I've never met one that compares to you."

Shang laughed. "I could say the same about you."

As Mulan reached for his hand, she felt the gift. When Shang started to walk towards the banquet, Mulan suddenly paused.

"What?" Shang asked. "Why did you stop?"

Mulan looked at the gift she held in her hand. "Wait, I want to see what Shan got me. And I want you to be here as we open our first gift as a couple."

Shang scoffed. "Well I doubt that gift is for us. I think it might be for just you."

Mulan shot an impatient look. "Shang, calm down. We'll just see won't we?" She tore open the box and found the arrow she and Shan used that one day as they played a game in the forest.

Shang rolled his eyes at the gift and Mulan laughed at him. She then turned around and threw the arrow in the pond. Shang stared in awe at her. Mulan smiled and shrugged it off. "I have no use for that arrow and neither do you, unless you want it?" Shang shook his head no. Mulan smiled. "I don't need to be reminded of the past. Because every thing I need to know is up here," she tapped her head. "Besides," she grabbed Shang's hand and led him back into the banquet, "my happily ever after is with you, and that is something I don't need to remember, or something I need keepsakes for to remind me, because I have one big one: you. And I'm living my happily ever after each and every day with you."

"Even if we fight?" Shang asked.

Mulan smiled. "See to me, happily ever after isn't about the whole prince coming to save the princess from her sad reality. Because we all know that I don't need saving." Shang laughed. "Happily ever after isn't about living the perfect life with no fights, because that's not how love is. Love isn't perfect. And sometimes love needs healing. But that's when you learn so much, like who's there to catch you when you fall. And that's what I think happily ever after is: Seeing love despite what situation is, no matter how dire or difficult."

* * *

**Special Thanks to: (Because you guys are the most awesome-blossom-fantastic people I've ever known!) I have a special thanks to you guys! You guys have been there this whole time, reading and reviewing my stories! You guys are the best reviewers ever! I hope you guys follow me to my other stories! I look forward to all of y'alls reviews! :) **

**Trakrat**

**Ivy**

**Tishica**

**Chelle93**

**Leila Wong**

**Rachel**

**PaTTy**

**Arielle**

**DiamondEyes3411**

**Newgirl5**

**Koolbroadwayreader**

- And I believe I should thank all the people who made this (or the Work of Two) their favorite story (or me) as their favorite author. Technically, all of you reviewed by saying that it is one of your favorite stories.


End file.
